


A Mother's Life

by MiladyDragon



Series: Dragon-Verse: Future Adventures [13]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Doctor Who (2005), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Merlin (TV), Torchwood, Warehouse 13
Genre: A little angst, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Family, Fluff, Multi, Reincarnation, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-15 23:50:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10559802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiladyDragon/pseuds/MiladyDragon
Summary: Someone arrives in Samara's life that turns it upside down, and makes her a part of history she never knew she would be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the third story in the Samara Wells trilogy. It skips a little time, taking place immediately after the events of "Lost and Found".

 

**_14 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

****

Samara loved Ddraig Llyn.

It was so very different from Boeshane; where that had been all desert and sand, the valley was all green and vibrant, with its ancient trees and tall mountains that protected Ddraig Llyn from the outside world of cities and people.  It was as if the place had been somehow cut off from the rest of the planet…and perhaps it had, with the magic that permeated everything around them. 

The people who lived there – besides her family, of course – had all once been outsiders who had turned their backs on what they’d known before.  They loved this simpler life, of green and grey and blueness of fresh water.  That wasn’t to say there wasn’t technology that aided in their lives; the village green itself saw regular shuttle flights to bring in supplies and new residents who were looking to re-embrace the magic of the past…both relatively and figuratively.  Computers and communicators kept them linked to the greater universe, and there were a few personal transmats that made it simple to come and go as anyone pleased.  

Still, it was so very easy to lose oneself in the peace of Ddraig Llyn, and to forget that there was a Human Empire and Twelve Galaxies of civilization out there.  Those who needed that balm to their soul thrived in the quiet of the valley, and Samara had come to quickly realise that she was one of those as well.

Especially after so many things that had happened to her ever since she’d come from Maker’s World to live with her son’s family.

The buildings of the village that hugged the shores of the lake were as timeless as the atmosphere.  Constructed of dark wood and sturdy stone, each and every one of them was a throwback to a different era on the outside.  There were homes, and the co-op – where the residents could get their supplies – and the tiny doctor’s office where Gaius Richardson, the Torchwood medical officer who also doubled as the personal physician to the Jones clan, took up residence when he was in the valley, making his rounds and enjoying the scenery. 

Then there was the Green Dragon Inn.

It really wasn’t an inn any longer, but the name had stuck; someone had even made a sign that hung over the front door, the brilliant dragon on it almost a perfect portrait of the house’s owner.  Three storeys tall, not including the half-submerged hoard room that had once been a pub and the attic, it dominated the village like its family did now.  The sun caught in the panes of glass of the large skylight in what would have been the attic in any other house, sending prisms of light across the slate roof and into the trees at the rear of the house.  Flowers were in full colour across the front, glowing against the ancient stone of the façade.  The wide wooden main door was open, as it usually was during the day, letting in the warm summer air.   From where Samara stood she could just make out the interior; within the lounge sat her granddaughter, Lisa, who was working on her knitting.  She’d wanted to learn, and Samara had been glad to teach her, and she knew that the young dragon’s current project was a scarf for Phillip, who she claimed was always cold.

She wasn’t all that wrong, but then Phillip was an ice mage, after all.

Laughter dragged her attention back to the lake. Two of her other grandchildren, James and William, were playing tag over the placid waters, red and brown scales of their dragon forms twisting around each other as they avoided being tagged by their third, green Oswyn.  They were technically teenagers now, but they sometimes still acted like the children they were in dragon years. 

The two youngest, Alyce and Robyn, were seated on a blanket near the bank, playing a card game, golden head and brown close together as they talked.  Robyn was also a born dragon, but for some reason she was completely terrified of flying, and kept to her human form as much as she possibly could.  Alyce, the youngest of Jack and Ianto’s natural children, didn’t have a dragon form yet, and both she and Robyn were practically inseparable. 

Jack and Ianto had been gone for over three standard weeks.  It was telling on the children, but at least it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.  William was pretty much over any sort of separation anxiety he’d suffered when younger, dragging James and Oswyn along with him into his unease at the thought of being abandoned by yet another family.  Yes, they were getting antsy about having their parents back, but Samara had been able to distract them a bit.  Robyn and Alyce had been fine with the absence, although they were missing Jack and Ianto something fierce, which was natural.  Lisa, of them all, was handling it the best, but then she’d become so much more settled once her secret had been exposed.  It didn’t hurt that she was missing Phillip just as much. 

However, they were due back today.  Jack had contacted them last night, saying that he and Ianto were on Hubworld and would be transmatting back today, bringing with them their friend from the past.  Samara had been curious about Rhys Williams, the man who’d been taken by what her boys called the Old Cardiff Rift, and had been deposited on an alien planet where he’d been treated like some sort of criminal.  Jack had said that they’d wanted to make sure there hadn’t been any damage done by Mr Williams’ forced transport through the space/time event, but then they’d be coming home. 

They’d also wanted to help get Nathan settled in at Phillip and Clint’s home on Hubworld.  The young dragon, after having been shot by a bounty hunter with an armour-piercing bullet, was recovering well, and would be staying home until he was fully healed.  Samara had been shocked when she’d received that particular bit of news, and a part of her had wanted to go with Jack and Ianto when they’d left to fetch Nathan home.  But she knew she needed to stay there, with the youngest of the clan, and make certain they were going to be fine.

“They’re here!” Lisa’s shout broke Samara out of her thoughts.

Knowing that the fliers might not have heard her announcement, Samara put her fingers in her mouth and blew out a sharp whistle, getting the attention of everyone.  In seconds, all three dragons were landing in front of her, changing back into their human forms, and Alyce and Robyn had gathered their cards and the blanket and had joined them. 

“Are they home?” William asked, breathless with excitement.

“Yes they are,” Samara confirmed.

The rush to the house nearly took her off her feet.

Laughing, Samara made her own way back inside, to find all the children gathered around their parents, clogging the hallway, greeting them effusively.  Jack and Ianto were giving out hugs to each, including Lisa, who could be a bit standoffish about affection.  Samara was glad to see her really accepting the love that her parents gave her unconditionally, moving past the barriers of her past life as Morgana le Fay.

The man lurking a bit behind the group looked a bit uncertain, so Samara decided that she wasn’t about to let him get lost amid all the free-floating happiness.  She stepped around her family and toward him, holding out her hand.  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr Williams,” she said warmly.  “I’m Samara Harkness, Jack’s mother.”

She’d decided to take on Jack’s surname not long after the events with Gray.  Samara had concluded that, if she really wanted to immerse herself within her new family, then she wanted to be recognised as being related to them, and taking the name that her son had adopted for himself so long ago seemed to have been the next logical step. 

Rhys Williams was handsome man, with dark hair and eyes and a friendly, open face.  He was somewhat stocky, a little shorter than his former bosses.  He hadn’t looked very comfortable until Samara had approached him, but she could certainly understand his hesitation.  He’d been thrown into the far future, away from everything he’d known, and it would take some time for him to be completely at ease with his surroundings.  Hopefully being there, in Ddraig Llyn, would help with that.

Rhys Williams smiled, taking her hand.  “It’s a pleasure,” he returned, “although I had no idea that Jack’s Mam would be such a looker.”

“Oi, Williams!” Jack exclaimed, “are you flirting with my Mom?”

Rhys smirked.  “You flirted with mine, Harkness.  Turnabout and all that.”

Samara laughed as her son seemed to think about it for a moment, and then shrugged.  “You have a point.” He was completely unapologetic, winking at Mr Williams broadly.

She had to wonder if Jack actually remembered flirting with his friend’s mother, or if he was just assuming that he’d done it since he did seem to flirt with a lot of people.  A part of her was sad at that, that someday he might very well forget her as well, but it was the price that Jack paid for being immortal.

But then, Ianto would be there to help him through everything, even after their mortal friends were gone. 

“You’re quite a charmer,” Samara commented. 

“I learned from the best.” Mister Williams jerked his head in Jack’s direction.

“I’m glad to know you finally acknowledge that little fact,” Jack favoured him with a smirk and a leer that had Ianto rolling his eyes. 

“Everyone,” the dragon said, “I want you to meet Rhys Williams, an old friend of mine and your father’s.  Rhys, these are the youngest of our children…” He went around and introduced them all, not differentiating between the five former orphans and their blood child.  It was something that Samara had noticed from the very beginning, that neither Jack nor Ianto treated the five any different than any of their other children, and was proud of them for it.

“You came through from the past, right?” James asked. 

“That’s right,” Mr Williams admitted. 

“And you’re gonna stay, right?” Oswyn added hopefully.

The man seemed a little surprised by the tone of her question.  “Yep, I am.  This is going to be my home from now on.” 

That got him several excited dragon children clamouring for his attention.  She could tell he hadn’t been expecting such acceptance, but at the same time Samara knew her grandchildren, and how much they wanted more and more people around them who weren’t going to leave anytime soon. 

“Can you tell us about our parents when they were really young?” Robyn asked in her shy voice.

That brought out a deep, happy laugh from Jack.  “Enough with the age comments!”

Ianto smiled fondly.  “Family friendly, Rhys,” the dragon reminded him.

That got him a round of groans.  “C’mon, Tad,” William practically whined. “We’re old enough to get the really good stories!”

“And that tone is why you get the age-appropriate stuff.”  Jack ruffled William’s brown hair, and the teen ducked him easily, shooting his Dad an offended glance. 

“Dad!”

Samara couldn’t help the laugh.  William was at that age where he thought he was way too old for that sort of thing, and Jack knew that.  It didn’t stop him at all from embarrassing the young dragon. 

“Dad?” Lisa put in.  She was the only one of the children who didn’t gang up on the three men; she stood back a little, her pale face smiling as she watched the fuss being made. 

“What is it, sweetheart?” Jack answered as he tried to usher everyone into the lounge.  Ianto took the hint and had them all away and out of the hall, leaving Jack, Lisa, and Samara who lagged behind in order to see if she’d be needed.

Jack put a hand on her shoulder, and Lisa leaned into the contact, her eyes content.

“Is Nathan going to be okay?” 

“Yes, he is,” her Dad assured her. 

“Can I go and see him?”

Of all the children, Lisa was perhaps closer to the Coulson-Jones part of the family.  Samara knew just how furious she’d been when Lisa had heard about what had happened on Dahlnia Prime, and how pleased she was when Phillip had demanded the Rite of Vengeance.  Samara was positive that, if she could, she would be right there beside Phillip when punishment against the ones responsible was meted out.

Jack gave her the smile he reserved for his family; quiet and loving, without a hint of the boisterous personality he showed the rest of the universe.  “Of course you can.  Phillip and Clint are expecting you whenever you want to go.”

Lisa hugged him.  “Thank you.”

He wrapped her in his arms, pressing a kiss against her black hair.  “You don’t have to thank me.  I know how much you love Nathan.”  In some ways Nathan was more of a brother than a cousin.  Samara had to wonder just how long it would be before Lisa left their ‘nest’ there in the valley and moved permanently to Hubworld.  Phillip had already been talking about setting up an internship for her with Torchwood, and while neither Jack nor Ianto were ready for any of their children to leave their home, they would continue to support her in whatever she wanted to do.

“I’ll go after lunch,” she said into his chest.  “I don’t want Mr Williams to think I don’t like him.”

Jack glanced at Samara over Lisa’s head, his eyes pleased.  “I doubt he’ll think that, Lisa.  He cares for Nathan about as much as you do.”  He pulled away, holding her at arms’ length, his eyes searching hers.  “You don’t blame Rhys for what happened, do you?”

“No, Dad,” she answered.  “It wasn’t his fault that he was taken by a Rift, and it certainly wasn’t his fault that the aliens he ended up with were being stupid.  He’s as much a victim as Nathan is in all this.”

He shook his head.  “I forget just how mature you are sometimes.”

Lisa rolled her eyes.  “It’s because my brothers are silly.”

Jack looked very amused.  “And there’s the child in you.”  He put an arm around her.  “Let’s go and join everyone else.”

Samara followed the two of them, and into the happy chattering that filled the lounge as their family got to know their newest edition.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

****

It only took Rhys a couple of days to get completely settled.

Samara was impressed with his resilience.

When she commented on it, he’d actually blushed a little.  “No, not resilient.  It’s just that Ddraig Llyn is familiar to me, and to be honest it hasn’t changed all that much.  It’s been easier dealing now that I’m here.”

Jack and Ianto had set him up his own computer console, and that was where Samara found him that morning, nursing a cup of coffee and reading what was on the screen.  It was in a corner of the man’s room, but Rhys kept the door open when he was ready to accept visitors.  The dragon children were often in there with him, and Rhys took great delight in telling all sorts of stories about the early Torchwood days.

Today, though, she and the man from the past had the house to themselves.  Jack and Ianto were off on Hubworld, having taken the children with them.  Lisa had already been there; she’d gone to stay with Phillip and Clint the day after Rhys had arrived, wanting to help out with Nathan.  Nathan still couldn’t change back into his human form, and Samara was aware just how uncomfortable that made him.  His dragon form was so very different from those of the rest of his family, that it made Nathan self-conscious whenever he had to stay in it for long.  Personally, Samara thought that her great-nephew made a very handsome dragon, and she was always telling him so.

“Anything interesting?” she enquired, stepping into the room.

Rhys leaned back in his chair.  “Just reading up on the history of the Empire,” he explained.

“If you ask Jack, Ianto, or Phillip, I’m sure they’d give you the ‘secret’ history.”

“I’m sure they would.  Though, even without all the behind-the-scenes stuff it’s still fascinating.  Back in my old time, Earth was just really stretching its legs, you know?  Human beings were just getting used to the fact that they weren’t alone in the universe.  To see everything that humanity’s done in the time since I was taken by the Rift…it’s right fantastic, it is.” 

He sounded awed and impressed, but then Samara could understand.  To come from living on a planet where aliens invaded more often than not to a universe that stretched to Twelve Galaxies and where humans lived in mostly harmony with the aliens that had once thought the Earth would make an easy target.

“Well, I think you need a break, and I need a spotter,” she declared. 

Rhys frowned slightly. “A spotter?”

Samara nodded.  “I’m going diving in the lake.  Someone needs to make sure if I don’t come back they tell my sons about it.”

The man from the past actually rolled his eyes.  “Like you’re not going to be careful.  Plus, weren’t you trained for all sorts of underwater work?”

“Anything can happen.  Besides, you need some sun.  You’ve been sitting in this room for days.”

That was a bit of an exaggeration, but she wasn’t above playing the guilt card if it meant she got him off his arse.

Truth be told, Samara quite liked Rhys Williams.  She enjoyed spending time with him.  Even though she was going to be under water the entire time, she wanted to know he was up on the shore, watching out for her.

Rhys gave a put-upon sigh, which Samara knew was a complete and utter fake.  “Alright, alright, Doctor Mother-of-the-Boss.  Let me mark my place and I’ll be down.”

Samara gave him a big smile, pleased that her cajoling had worked.  “That’s fine.  I need to get my wetsuit on anyway.  I’ll meet you down at the lakeside in about ten minutes?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

She turned and left, heading back to her own room.  Samara’s was down the hallway from Rhys’, and she’d already laid the wetsuit out on the bed before she’d decided to beard Rhys in his lair.

It wasn’t as state-of-the-art as some, but she’d been using it for years.  It was deep blue, with a green stripe down the side, and made from a patented waterproof material that was also insulated against the cold.  It was skin tight, as were all such suits, but extremely comfortable, and Samara wriggled into it with just a little effort. 

Samara had done some diving in the lake before, but not too far out.  Today, she was looking forward to a little more exploration, hoping to get a look into the depths.  According to Ianto, no one had really done that sort of thing before, and Samara wanted to be the first. 

One of the things she did miss was using her knowledge.  Back on Maker’s World, she’d been a respected resident of the Peninsula, trained as a marine biologist and biochemist, someone who was a valued member of the colony.  She was certainly valued here as well, but for different reasons, and she was happy with that, but the chance to use her skills once more was too good to pass up.

Her rebreather and goggles were on the bed as well.  They were as well-used and taken care of as her wetsuit; but then, her equipment was what she relied on, and it wouldn’t do for it to be broken or damaged in any way.  She grabbed them up, reached for the swim-fins on the floor, and then was out of her bedroom and heading downstairs and toward the lake.

Her bedroom was on the second floor, along with the rooms that family would use when they stayed there in the valley.  Samara was also aware of the second house, further up the mountain, where any spill over would go in case of a full house.  Currently, she shared the floor with the six children still at home, and Rhys; her son and his mate had the large room in what had been an attic, with its dormer ceiling and large skylight.  The first floor were also guest rooms and the locked armoury, as well as the closet where the house’s mainframe was set up. 

The ground floor was the lounge, Jack and Ianto’s office, the transmat cubicle, the dining room, and the large kitchen.  Samara came down the stairs quickly, and was down the short hallway and out the front door, which was usually kept open when someone was at home. 

She managed to beat Rhys out to the lake, but when she turned back toward the house he was just leaving.  Samara decided that this life seemed to be good for him; he looked relaxed, and calm, and – to her at least – quite handsome.  There was something about his face that reminded her of Franklin; not his looks, because the two of them couldn’t have been more different in that department.  No, it was his friendly openness, as if he wanted to get along with everyone; and yet there was something else lurking, something that told those who knew to look for it that this man was dangerous, and that messing with him or the ones he loved was going to bring a lot of pain. 

In a way, Rhys was like Phillip in that regard, only her grandson-by-mating was a lot more overtly dangerous than Rhys would ever be.  Phillip wasn’t afraid to show it when needed, while Rhys wanted nothing more than to like everyone.  At least it seemed that way to her.

Samara didn’t miss the way his eyes roamed across the skin-tight wetsuit, and she felt herself blushing slightly under his regard.

Ever since Franklin had died and Gray taken, Samara hadn’t exactly been a hermit.  There were always those on Boeshane that had lost someone, and was looking to forget that for a little while. Samara had been like that, especially after she’d gotten the news that her Jamys had been lost to his duty with the Time Agency.

Of course, that had been a lie to cover up the fact that Jack had gone AWOL and become a conman, but Samara hadn’t known that at the time.

Still, it had been a very long time indeed since someone had looked at her like that, and it was slightly embarrassing at the same time that Samara decided she quite liked it.

He hadn’t put shoes on.  There was something almost erotic about that.

She wondered vaguely how Rhys felt about the age difference.  Samara was in her late sixties in Earth years, while she knew that Rhys was about forty.  She wasn’t at all familiar with ageism from his time, but would he be bothered by her age if she decided to make some sort of play?

Wait.

No, she couldn’t do that.  Rhys was newly arrived in this temporal zone, and was still acclimatising to it.  Just having these thoughts, she was felt as if she was taking some sort of advantage, and there was no way she wanted to do anything to damage that acclimatisation.

He moved toward her, shaking his head.  “Not sure why you wanted me out here really, but here I am.”

“Actually, it only makes sense that someone be up top to keep an eye out,” she answered, giving him a winning smile.  “I know you won’t be able to come and rescue me, but I’d feel much safer if I knew you were close by.”

“The Great Dragons wouldn’t let anything happen to you in their valley,” Rhys pointed out.  “You’d be as safe out there as you would in your own bed.”

Samara had met the Great Dragons when she’d first arrived, and had caught sight of them many times in the couple of years since she’d lived there.  She wasn’t a religious person, but there was something about those four dragon spirits that had her believing in something beyond this life.  It didn’t hurt that several of her family were reincarnations of souls already passed on.

Sometimes she did wonder if her own soul would reincarnate once she was gone.  In many ways, she was looking forward to eventually finding out.

But today she was there, and a nearly unexplored body of water awaited her.

“Humour me,” she laughed.  “You can still do your bit of research while you’re sitting in the sunlight.  Get some of those free-floating vitamins into that pasty skin you seem to think is normal for you.”

“Oi, woman,” he said in mock anger, “don’t go dissing the Welsh complexion!”

“You and Ianto, you’re both pale as Harlorean milk.  He can’t tan, but you can.”

“I stay out here too long and I’ll be as red as a lobster!  We can’t all have the advantage of living in a desert most of their lives.”

Samara had seen photos of terrestrial lobsters, so she got his point.

Despite his objections, Rhys folded himself down on the ground, relaxing into the grass along the bank.  “Well, go on with you.  The lake’s waiting.”

Not allowing herself to even consider the idea of how charmed she was by his accent, Samara nodded and then slipped on her swimming goggles.  They were slim enough to just fit around her eyes, and form-fitting enough so no water could get through the seal.  They were also specially coated to allow her to see at depths and yet not be dazzled by sunlight streaming though the upper water. 

The rebreather was a simple mouthpiece that strained the oxygen out of water, allowing her to breathe perfectly underwater.  The charge lasted two standard hours, but that would be plenty of time for her to get in enough exploration for now.  She had plenty of time to go diving many more days, so there was no rush. She could take her time.

Slipping the swim-fins onto her feet, their straps snug around her ankles, Samara waddled into the water, and as soon as she was far enough out she dove in.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

 

It was a little chillier than what she was used to against the small bits of bare skin, but Samara didn’t mind.  The water was perfectly clear; not a sign of contaminants that she could see.  She’d done some studying of the lake and its surroundings, and knew that the water was replenished from snow melt, and also from some sort of hidden spring that she didn’t know the location of.  Samara was hoping to find that spring on one of her explorations of the lake. 

Today, though, was for fun.  She didn’t have any of her usual equipment with her, and that was fine.  She knew she didn’t have to worry about anything dangerous; she had it on good authority that nothing in the lake could hurt her.  She would only need to take the barest of precautions, because the last thing she wanted to do was accidentally drown.

Brightly coloured fish darted past her, and Samara stopped, simply treading water and taking in her surroundings.  The lake that had given its name to the valley around it was deep, far deeper than it really should have been given the geology of the area, going down a good two hundred meters at its deepest point.  It had been formed during one of the many periods of glaciation in the area, and from what she’d been able to discover had once lain across a major fault line that had been active about 450 million years ago, according to geological records of the area. 

Dragons had lived within this area for about a third of that time, from what she’d learned from Ianto, even before there had been a valley there.

As she hung there in the water, something passed in front of her.  Samara startled, pushed herself backward a little, but then had to laugh internally as she recognised the flash of water-shaded scales.

_Welcome, Samara._

A pair of kind yet ancient green eyes were staring at her through the clear water, and Samara caught a glimpse of preternaturally sharp teeth as the Water Dragon smiled at her. 

Samara reached out, and her fingers touched scales that were somewhat warmer than the water that cradled her as if she was suspended in time.  It wasn’t like touching Ianto; no, the Water Dragon was more like stroking solid water, the image before her giving slightly against her probing.  The Water Dragon was wild and wonderful, and Samara found herself returning the smile around the mouthpiece of her rebreather.

_Please, allow me to show you my home._

The Water Dragon turned slightly, presenting her with the tall crest that ran from the spirit’s forehead and down her neck.  Samara took the hint and grabbed on, and barely kept herself from laughing in sheer joy as the Dragon tugged her along.

It was like swimming with the ship-fish back on Maker’s World.

The Water Dragon kept up a commentary as they swum along, the spirit keeping it slow so she wouldn’t miss anything.  The sides of the lake’s bowl were green and growing, reeds and fronds waving in the slight current, carp and eels and other creatures peeking out from within them.  Larger, braver fish, trout and pike, made their way in schools that flashed brightly in the sunlight penetrating the surface of the lake.

 _Not many swim within my waters,_ the Water Dragon commented.  _You will always be welcome here, Samara. I sense within you a true Friend of Water, and would give you my Mark if you were so inclined._

She almost let go in her shock, and the Water Dragon stopped her forward momentum to curve around and meet Samara’s eyes.  Samara knew what that meant; she’d learned from Ianto, as he’d been pleased to explain his peoples’ ways and the ways of the Great Dragons, on one of her first nights within the valley, as she and Jack and other members of her now-large family had sat around the immense fireplace in the family home, sharing with her stories of their lives within Ddraig Llyn and without.  He’d Named her himself, and she’d been pleased and proud of it once she’d understood what it meant. 

Tinkling laughter echoed through her mind like the finest of fountains.  _I see that I have shocked you, although pleasantly._

The Water Dragon had, and Samara wished she could tell her out loud, but she couldn’t if she wanted to continue breathing.

The laughter came again.  _Yes, breathing is important, so please do nothing to keep from doing just that.  You may consider it before making a decision, but I would be pleased if you would accept._

Honestly, Samara couldn’t have been more honoured by the offer.  It meant she’d truly found her home, even if she’d thought of Boeshane that for so very long.  It would tie her to this place, but there wasn’t anywhere else she’d rather be.

 _Oh, it appears there is a visitor in the valley,_ the Water Dragon said, before Samara could give her an answer.  _Perhaps we should see what she wants, and then we can continue our discussion when you are able to ask questions of me about what I am offering._

With that, the Water Dragon had offered Samara her handhold back, and she accepted, allowing the spirit to tow her upward, toward the glittering surface of the lake.  It was no time at all before they broke through, and the Water Dragon was letting her swim on her own toward the shore.  The Dragon herself was hovering above the lake, her wings outstretched, water dripping from her scales. 

Samara hauled herself out of the lake and up the bank, pushing her goggles up onto her head and kicking off her swim-fins.  Rhys was standing there, his very stance screaming suspicion and curiosity combined, talking to a woman who was just within Rhys’ personal space, wearing a dress that looked like genuine white leather that just touched the tops of low-heeled calf-high boots, a matching fringed jacket, and a sky-blue blouse with curlicue embroidery on it.  Her blonde, curly hair fell about her jawline, and an outrageous pair of silver earrings made of some turquoise stone dangled to touch her shoulders. 

She looked familiar, and it only took Samara a few seconds to realise just who she was.

Oh, this wasn’t good.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about a two-chapter day today?

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

 

The woman turned a blinding smile on Samara.  Her eyes widened slightly at the wetsuit, then the smile turned downright flirty.

Now, Samara didn’t usually mind flirting, but she was going to draw the line at this.

Before the woman could say anything, Samara had approached and was giving her a smile of her own, hers just a tad bit sharp.  “You must be Merlin’s mother.” She stuck out a damp hand. “I’m Dr Samara Harkness…Jack’s Mom.”

Professor River Song looked surprised.  “Well, I can certainly see where Jack gets his charm from.”  It was said with just the slightest bit of flirty sarcasm, and she accepted Samara’s hand without complaint.  She didn’t even wipe it off when she let go.

Samara only knew River Song from what Merlin had told her.  That she and his father had pretty much left Merlin with the Harkness-Joneses because neither one of them could stay in one place too long, and having a child while travelling to dangerous places and times was a really bad idea.  Samara could understand it, but from her position of hindsight Samara knew that abandoning a child was never a good idea.

Because she’d practically abandoned Jamys.  Samara still carried around a lot of guilt over that fact, despite Jack having forgiven her. 

Rhys was looking between them, and Samara had to wonder what he was thinking.  He looked somewhat confused, but trying to hide it.  Was he aware of River’s history?  Most likely not…

Oh.

Wait.

She had to warn Rhys. 

“Well, where is everyone?” River asked.  “I teleported into the house and it was empty…and it’s never empty.”

“Jack, Ianto, and the children are off on Hubworld,” she answered, before Rhys could get a word in.  “Nathan, Clint and Phillip’s son, was recently injured so they’re all visiting.  Arthur, Merlin, and Rory are off on New Avalon; something about a trustee meeting for the school.”  She figured those would be the main family members River would be interested in, but added,” Everyone else are off doing what it is they do.  Oh, I do think Cadi’s added another system to her list of places not to get caught in.  Other than that, it’s been quiet.  Oh, and of course there’s Rhys.”  She turned toward him.  “Rhys Williams, this is Professor River Song, Merlin’s mother.  Professor Song, this is Rhys Williams, he got picked up by a temporal-spatial event in the 21st century and deposited on Andrala, of all places.  He ran with Jack and Ianto back in the original Torchwood days, and is now living here.”

River turned her smile on Rhys, and that for some reason pissed Samara off, although she managed to keep that to herself.  “Pleasure to meet you, Rhys.  I may call you Rhys?”

“Yeah,” he answered, sounding slightly bemused by the whole thing.  His eyes sought out Samara, then went back to River.  Samara could tell he was trying very hard not to roll them, and she envied him his restraint.

 _“Welcome back to Ddraig Llyn,”_ the Water Dragon added.  Then she did an acrobatic, mid-air flip and dove back into the lake, her body not displacing any of the water at all.

“Actually,” River said, “I’m glad no one is around.  You two are perfect to help me out.”

With that, River was striding toward the house, as if she was fully expecting them to follow.

Samara was certain River could be a nice person, but this sort of attitude was beginning to irritate her. 

She reached out and snagged Rhys’ sleeve when he looked as if he was about to follow.  He turned back to her one eyebrow up and questioning, but Samara waited until River was out of hearing range before she spoke.

“Rhys,” she murmured, not taking the chance that River might overhear, even though she was nearly to the house by then.  “You know about Merlin’s mother, don’t you?”

He frowned.  “I know a little, from what Merlin and the others have said.”

Damn.  Alright, then she needed to clue him in a little more. “Whatever you do, don’t suggest letting Merlin know she’s here.”

“But why?” Now he was confused.  “I get that she was a naff Mam, but wouldn’t Merlin want to know she was visiting?”

So he’d heard that at least.  “Yes, but what you obviously haven’t been told was that she officially died about thirty-five Earth years ago.”

His eyes got round, and then he cursed as he figured out what she was telling him. “I bloody hate time travel.”

If anyone had a right to do that very thing, it was Rhys Williams.  Being sucked up out of your own time and dumped into the future wasn’t something Samara wanted to wish on anyone.  “From what Jack and Arthur have said, Merlin’s still mourning her, and the wound gets ripped open every time she shows up _after_ his Dad told him about her dying.  So, I’d like to keep him from having to suffer that again.”

Rhys was nodding.  “Agreed.  No mentioning calling Merlin then.”

“We’ll let Arthur know after she leaves, which she invariably does fairly quickly.  River doesn’t hang around all that long.”

“Yeah, and from what I understand she didn’t do much of that when Merlin was around.”  He sounded outraged on Merlin’s behalf, and Samara wanted to hug him for it.

She kept herself from doing that.  “Let’s find out what she wants and then we can see about getting rid of her before the rest of the family shows up.”

Samara couldn’t help it; she felt very protective of her family.  As a mother, she’d completely messed things up after Franklin had been killed and Gray taken, and she was determined to make up for past mistakes.  Wanting to protect Merlin was just one more thing she saw as her duty within her now extended family.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

 

Together, they followed River into the house.  The archaeologist was walking a circuit of the room, peering into corners and generally being nosy.  Samara wanted to say something, but she refrained, instead waiting to see just what River was up to.

She spun on her heel, and Samara found herself the focus of a pair of sharp, green eyes.  She wondered in the back of her mind where Merlin had gotten his blue eyes from, since as far as she knew both of his parents had the same colour eyes.

But then, the Doctor was a Time Lord.  Perhaps Merlin was taking more from a former regeneration than the current one?

“Now,” the woman began, “I need to know where would be the best place to set up at.”

“Set up what?” Samara asked warily.

She was favoured with a happy smile.  “Why, the door to the stasis chamber I’ve brought with me.  All I need is a section of wall that won’t be in the way.  It’s Time Lord technology, you see, sort of like the TARDIS only with just the door visible.”

Samara glanced at Rhys, and he was just as confused as she was.  She stifled a sigh, then pointed toward the wall closest to the hallway.  “There might work.”

“Excellent.”  River pushed the sleeve of her jacket up, revealing the unmistakable shape of a Vortex Manipulator.  Samara still hated the sight of them, just because of their association with the Time Agency, but according to Jack that one was possibly the last working wrist strap in the universe. 

River pressed a couple of buttons, and a metal door shimmered into view against the part of the wall that Samara had indicated.  It was a burnished bronze, with the familiar symbol for the Time Lords on the upper part of the panel in a more polished material.  There was no visible handle, but the door itself opened as River stepped closer.

Samara and Rhys moved toward the now-open door.  Beyond the portal was a large, narrow room, wood panelled, with ornately carved shelves against each wall.  Dark red cloth draped from the shelves, and served as cushioning for the objects on the shelves.

The objects were eggs.

Dragon eggs.

Samara knew what dragon eggs were: they were shells that had been magically wrapped about babies and children, to protect them against harm and to preserve them for a time when the danger was past.  Five of her grandchildren had been placed within magical shells, and it had taken a past version of her son to locate just those five. 

But this…

“How many are there?” Rhys asked, awestruck.  He’d know what these were as well, also having heard the story of how James, William, Oswyn, Robyn, and Lisa had come to be a part of their family.

‘Eighty-five,” River answered proudly.  “It’s taken me a long time to find them, but I had to once I’d seen the very first one and recognised it.”  She stepped into the stasis chamber, one hand raising up to stroke one of the eggs carefully.  “I was visiting Catherine the Great – and heavens, she certainly lived up to _that_ name – when I happened to see it in the Royal Treasury.  I knew what it was, and had to remove it to more…protective circumstances.  I knew Jack and Ianto would take care of it.”

River turned back, her cocky smile now almost sweet.  “I knew if there was one out there, there had to be more.  I just couldn’t leave them to fade away, so I went searching.  These are the ones I managed to locate.”

Just on this alone, Samara was suddenly predisposed to forgive River a lot of what she put Merlin through.  “Ianto said he searched,” she murmured, making her own way into the chamber. 

“He did, but he didn’t have the resources I did.  Of course, I didn’t take the five he found, knowing they would already be in good hands, but these…they deserve the same chance that those five children did; to have a loving family to protect them.”  A shadow passed over her face, and Samara wondered if she wasn’t thinking about her own son.  Maybe she was aware of what she’d done, but thought it was too late to fix it?

Should Samara get involved?

Goddess knew, she wanted to.  She wanted to fix the estrangement between Merlin and his mother, to make them whole the same way she’d been when Jack – her Jamys – had forgiven her. 

But could she?

In this timeline, River Song was long dead.  Merlin had mourned her, and while he did still miss her, it was hurting him every time she showed up after he’d been told that she’d given her life at the Great Library.  Maybe it would be better if she left well enough alone…

“This is bloody amazing,” Rhys breathed, joining them.  ‘You know, back in the old team’s days, you could always see that Jack and Ianto would be excellent parents, just from the way they treated each of us.  Hell, we’d often tease them about it.”  He chuckled.  “The both complained when we would consider them the Mam, but you could see they actually liked it.  This is gonna be the best surprise ever for them, although how they’re gonna deal with so many kids running around…”

Samara laughed.  “I’m sure some of the others would want to take over some of the parenting.  I know Anwyn and Gwaine have been finally thinking about children, as have Rowena and Henry.  Maybe even Clint and Phillip, because I get the impression that Phillip isn’t so sure the two of them are compatible.”  She’d certainly given them enough hints, until Phillip had pulled her aside about it.

“Yeah, and Jack and Ianto were _both_ convinced they’d never have kids,” Rhys snorted.  “I still remember, after their mating, Ianto saying something along those lines.  Did you know, one of the blessings of the Great Dragons was one of fertility?”

“Well, _that_ certainly turned out to be true!” River exclaimed. 

“So I doubt those two will have any problem,” Rhys went on, “especially with the Great Dragons meddling the way they tend to do.”

Samara thought back to the what the Water Dragon had asked, and she couldn’t help but smile.  The offer had been genuine, but at the same time she was very much aware that the Great Dragons always did things for a reason.  So, while she was completely honoured by the suggestion that she take on the Water Dragon’s Mark, she would have to think carefully on it before making her decision.

“The stasis chamber will keep the eggs viable for millennia,” River went on.  “They can stagger how they’re hatched, so at least they won’t be inundated with children all at once.” The smile left her face.  “Unfortunately, I can’t tell if any of them are…gone.  I’m sure Merlin would be able to, though, as he’s the Dragonlord around here.”

It just about broke her heart, that some of those little dragons might have died within those magical shells.  To lose those children, when their parents had meant only to protect them…it was something Samara didn’t want to think about.  She found herself praying that this wasn’t the case, that all of the babies would be fine, and she thought she felt a stray sense of comfort touched her. 

“It seems like you have everything taken care of,” Rhys said, “so how can we help?”

River ushered them out of the chamber, shutting the door behind them.  Samara watched as she carefully checked the seal, then turned back to regard them both.  “I have a lead on two more eggs,” she explained.  “I tried to get to them, but…and this bothers me to admit…I’m not able to gain access.  But I think you might be able to.”

“And what makes this place so impenetrable that a time travelling trouble-shooter like yourself can’t get in?” Samara enquired.

River cocked her head, her face softening as she rolled Samara’s words about in her head.  “Time travelling trouble-shooter…I quite like that.”  Then she shook herself lightly.  “This place is very special.  It’s been especially constructed to house and protect magical artefacts.  It’s called the Warehouse.”

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

****

Samara felt her mouth drop open in surprise, even as Rhys was saying, “What’s this Warehouse then?”

Of course, she knew about the Warehouse.  It was a part of her own personal history, after all.  The family history that had been passed down was full of half-truths and exaggerations, but yes…she knew the Warehouse had once existed.

“It was on Earth, back in the late 18th century,” River explained.  “The Warehouse was like Torchwood, only for magical artefacts instead of alien tech.  It was officially disbanded sometime late in the 21st               century, when magic fell to such a low that it couldn’t sustain the artefacts any longer.  I’m really surprised that Torchwood hadn’t heard of it.”

“Well, like you said,” Rhys answered, “we weren’t much into magic, except for odds and ends we picked up along the way, or had foisted off on us.  Maybe Jack or Ianto was familiar, but they never mentioned it.”

River looked thoughtful, and then she shrugged.  “Doesn’t matter.  What we need is in the version that was in London, in the 1800’s, preferably no later than 1900.  I received some information from the old records about two strange eggs that were found in the library of someone who was considered some sort of wizard, but beyond that I can’t tell if they’re truly dragon eggs or something else.  They fit the description I’ve been using to locate eggs all over the Earth and throughout time, though.”

“But why us?” Samara wanted to know. 

“Because,” River said patiently, “you have something in common with the person who can help us gain access…Samara Christina Wells.”

Samara shivered slightly.  “You want me to speak to my many times great-grandmother.”  Her words were slightly accusatory. 

River had come to this time, knowing she was at the right time and place to be approached.  River had obviously done her research; it wasn’t common knowledge that her ancestor had worked for the Warehouse; not even Jack had known.  She’d never really gotten around to sharing the stories she _did_ know, only as tall tales at bedtime.

“And what makes you think she’ll listen to me?” Samara challenged.  Rhys was staring at her, incredulously, as if he was trying to figure her out.  “How can I possibly convince Helena Wells to let me take two dragon eggs out of the Warehouse?”

“I’m sure you can be convincing,” River waved off her objections.  “We can’t leave those children to fade away in that place.  They deserve a chance to live.”

Samara couldn’t disagree.  If only River had had more of the same opinion about her own son…

All of the stories she did have of her ancestor weren’t particularly happy ones.  This was the woman who’d become so disillusioned with the world that she’d tried to destroy it, if the old tales were true.  Who really knew what was truth and what was a precautionary story about faith that had been told to children? 

But maybe that was how she could go about it…

“Alright,” she said.  “I’ll try, for the children.  It’s the least I can do.”

River was grinning.  “That’s the spirit!  You can do this, I know you can.”

“And you won’t be doing it alone,” Rhys spoke up.

Samara turned to him, touched at his volunteering to accompany her.  “Rhys, I can’t ask that of you.  You’ve been through so much already – “

“There’s no way I’m letting you go on your own,” he said stoutly.  “Besides, that’s close to my own time.  I can help.”  He shrugged.  “Okay, maybe not so close.  But still, I at least speak the language.”

“And I can use a translation device,” she countered.

“And I’m not letting you go alone, because Jack would kill me if I did.”  Rhys touched her shoulders.  “Samara, maybe you think I’m being a bit of a git, or I’m not giving you enough credit, but there’s no way you’re going back in time without me.  You need someone to watch your back.”

“This is really sweet,” River was smirking, “but I _will_ be with her, you know.”

“Yeah, well the only thing I know about you is that you don’t look after your own kid,” Rhys countered harshly.  “How do I trust you to look after Samara, then?”

River flinched at the accusation, but didn’t refute it.  Perhaps she knew exactly what she’d done to her son, and perhaps she was already feeling guilty about it. 

Still, that made it worse, if River knew what she was doing.

But Samara also couldn’t deny the warm feeling she had when Rhys was defending her.  She prided herself on being a strong, independent person; after all, she’d been on her own for years before a dragon and his daughter had shown up on her boat, looking for reef stones and a wayward grandmother who hadn’t been aware that she’d had a large family out there who’d wanted her to be a part of them. 

There was just something about his old-fashioned manners and outlook that charmed her.  Samara appreciated his need to look out for her, and she doubted that he would be smothering.  If she decided that she wanted to do this alone, then he would accept it.

However, if this didn’t work and for some reason she didn’t come back…

“Don’t even,” Rhys accused, as if he was reading her mind.  “Don’t you dare, Samara Harkness!  I am not staying behind just so I can be here to explain to Jack and Ianto that something’s happened to you.  You might have gotten that past me earlier, but this is a bit different from you going out for a swim!  You’re actually considering going back to a time you have no idea about.  There is no fucking way you’re going without me.”

Then he grinned.  “Besides, I’m not hanging around to have Jack and Ianto kill me for letting you go off on your own.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Yes, you have a point.”  She wouldn’t want to face either of them under that circumstance, either.

“Besides, this is what Torchwood does…it helps people.  We need to bring those poor kids home.”

He was right, of course.  This was what Torchwood did, and he had a right to help out.  It wasn’t a secret that Rhys had started to feel a bit at loose ends; he’d complained about it yesterday at dinner.  This would give him something to occupy him, at least for a little while.

Besides, although it had only been not yet a week since she’d met him, Samara had genuinely come to like and trust the time-displaced man.  She would have gotten a bit more personal with him, if she hadn’t felt as if it was taking some sort of advantage.  There was something about him that attracted her, and she kept that tucked away deep, not wanting to compromise his adjustment to the future.

“Alright,” she capitulated gracefully, truly glad for his support.  She turned to look at River.  “We’re going to need period-type clothing, and I’m going to need to do a little research.  Honestly, all I have to go on are family stories, and those are most likely all exaggerations or even downright lies.  I can’t even guarantee the information I need is even in any official records…”

“We’ll figure it out,” River encouraged.  She gave them each a glance, then sighed.  “I know I haven’t been the best mother, but I trusted Merlin with Jack and Ianto, who are the best parents I know.  I don’t have any excuse for anything I did, but I can say this: I don’t think I was ever cut out to be a mother.  My own mother might have loved me, but I wasn’t raised by her, and we’re all a reflection of how we were brought up.”

That had Samara flinching a little.  While things might have once been very happy in her own family, that had changed over the course of a single day, and after that she’d been her own version of a shit parent.  She’d treated Jamys like he was at fault for something he had no control over, and he’d run away at the earliest opportunity.  Samara didn’t blame him in the least, and now was her chance to make up for how she’d acted.

It was never too late, and she said as much to River.

“Perhaps you’re right,” the other woman conceded.  “Maybe after this is done…I’ve been hired for an expedition back in the 51st century, which I’m going to take.  Once I’m done, I’ll come for a visit.  It’s been too long.”  She smiled sadly.  “I bet my grandson has grown like a weed.”

“You should,” Samara encouraged.  “He’ll be glad to see you.” 

Samara didn’t want to tell River that she’d been declared dead over three decades ago.  She didn’t want to admit that it would only hurt Merlin now to see her.  It wasn’t in her power to stop this from turning into a tragedy.

She could only hope that River would come back at an earlier time, before the sacrifice and pain and a boy getting his hearts broken.

Yes, Merlin was older than Samara, but that didn’t make him any less her boy.

Rhys must have noticed something wrong, because he was suddenly drawing River’s attention away from her, asking, “So, how do we do this?”

“I know the best place to get some research done,” River promised.  “What say we go and get those eggs?”

Samara was nearly overcome once more with the urge to hug Rhys.  She managed to stuff it back down.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of notes on these next couple of chapters. These take place before the events of "3...2...1..." in that Helena has not met William Wolcott yet. This also takes place the month before her daughter, Christine, is murdered. This is a Helena that hasn't had to go through those losses yet, and Samara knows this. 
> 
> I have a work in progress that's a sequel to this part of the story, and deals with a few things that Helena discovers from Samara and Rhys. I'm hoping to have it finished soon, because I'd like to post it before I post the next major arc in the Future-Verse, but I'm not sure it will happen.

 

**_1 June 1891 (Old Earth Date)_ **

**_London, England_ **

****

Samara wondered just how women handled wearing the fashions of this time period.  They were bulky, confining, and it would have been extremely hard for her to defend herself if she needed to.

The dress that River had found for her was a very complimentary blue, however.  The skirt and short jacket were the same colour, the same shade as the Boeshane sky at dusk, and the crisp white blouse worked very well with the high-waisted skirt and black belt.  The collar, though, had a lot to be desired, as it was itchy, and the tiny buttons on the blouse had been difficult to work with. 

And she wasn’t about to get started on the highly impractical hat that was perched on top of the precariously shaped hair style. 

Rhys, though…he looked as if he’d worn a suit like that all of the time.  It was black, and looked incredibly formal, but it was perfect for him.  The waistcoat was form-fitting, which made him seem a bit bulkier than she was used to seeing, and it was as if Samara was really noticing him for the first time. 

She wanted his hat, though.  She was going to steal it when this was over and wear it back home. 

They were both seated at a small café outside what River had pinpointed as the offices for Warehouse 12.  It was a nondescript building, much like all the other ones on the street, the brick façade stained with soot, giving it a dingy aspect. Steps led up to a large stoop, with two gas lamps on either side of the wooden door, skinny windows with black wrought iron bars keeping anyone from getting into the building through them.  Another pair of lamps stood on tall posts at the bottom of the steps, their glass stained from the flames that would be lit when it became closer to dusk.

The air smelled funny, like eggs that had gone off.  Samara had to take into consideration that pollution levels at this time had been extremely high, with the most popular way of heating homes being coal and other fossil fuels.  The skinny trees that someone had decided would have been a good idea to plant at equidistant sections of the sidewalk drooped under the weight of the heavy air, and Samara had to wonder just what she’d be coughing up once they got back home.

Horses clopped along the cobbles of the street, carriages rattling their way along.  It was noisy, and to be honest it was giving Samara a bit of a headache.  It was mid-afternoon, and it wasn’t even all that busy yet.  It would be later on, when people left their jobs and headed home.  However, there were enough pedestrians on the sidewalks that it made people-watching easy.

“How did people live like this?” Rhys murmured.  They’d both ordered tea – using money that River had provided – and it was fairly good, although not on par with Ianto’s coffee.  The small cakes that had come along with the teapot were a bit too sweet for Samara’s taste, and she was afraid to find out what ingredients had gone into them.  She wasn’t about to pretend she knew anything about this time period, especially the nutritional values of certain foods, but she did know that these early human beings hadn’t been afraid to practically poison themselves with certain things.

Rhys seemed to be enjoying them, however.  He’d also dosed up his tea with cream and the white cubes that he’d explained were also sugar, but Samara had refrained.

They’d been sitting in the café – or tea room, as Rhys had called it – for a good two hours without a sign of the woman they were looking for.  It had been a gamble to stake out the Warehouse; they had no real guarantee that Helena Wells was even inside.  For all Samara knew, her ancestor could have been at home, having a day off, or had only been part-time with Warehouse 12.  The records of this time were spotty to say the least; not even Torchwood had a lot on the Warehouses in their files, which was a surprise to Samara.  There were some handwritten notes, but they’d been added after the fact, as it were, and were apocryphal at best and downright wrong at worst. 

Still, River had been as thorough as possible in digging up what Samara had needed.  Now, she could only hope she had the right lever in which to move Helena Wells into helping them get those eggs from the Warehouse.  Her hand strayed to the pocket of her jacket, making certain her last resort was still there.

To say that Rhys had been shocked that the author, HG Wells, had actually been a woman would have been an understatement, but once that was out of the way he’d said he could certainly understand why she’d hidden it.  At this period in Earth history, women were no more than second-class citizens, and Helena hiding behind her brother’s rather public face in order to write her novels had made sense to him. 

Samara knew that, somewhere, out there, her son was working for Torchwood was an uncontracted agent, pressed into service against his will as he waited for the Doctor to arrive, hopefully to take Jack away and explain to him just how he’d become immortal.

Also, Ianto was living at Ddraig Llyn, hiding away from a world that had been responsible for the destruction of his race. 

Her boys were out there, and she couldn’t even go and look for them.

“We’re going to have leave soon,” Rhys pointed out.  “We’ve really been here too long as it is.  We’re gonna start drawing attention to ourselves.”

“Well,” a voice drawled from behind Samara, “more attention than you already have.”

Samara twisted in the uncomfortable chair.  Standing just behind her was a very familiar woman.

Helena Wells was dark-haired and dark-eyed, the opposite of Samara herself.  Generations had wiped away any family resemblance between the two of them.  Their quarry was dressed in men’s’ clothing: dark trousers and long coat, with an embroidered waistcoat underneath.  Her collar was open, revealing a large locket, one that Samara had seen every day of her life.  While the photograph it had once contained was long worn away by her time, the locket itself had survived. 

Helena’s knowing eyes were laughing at them, even though she looked serious.  “You both are rubbish at surveillance,” she commented, taking a chair from an empty table and sitting herself down with them.

Rhys rolled his eyes.  “Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had to be sneaky, so I think I could be forgiven for it.”

“You’re Welsh,” Helena said, cocking her head, examining Rhys from head to his waist, where the table cut off any further exploration.  Probably checking to see if he had any weapons, Samara realised.

“Born and bred in Cardiff,” Rhys confirmed.  “My companion, though, is from somewhere else entirely.”  He held out a hand.  “Rhys Williams.  This is Samara Jonasson.”  It was Franklin’s surname, and Samara had thought it was safer than going by either Wells, or Harkness.  She knew Jack had been on Earth in this time period, and didn’t want anything traced back to him, not knowing if Harkness was an unusual name.  Williams, of course, was fairly common, so Rhys was safe using it. “And, believe it or not, we’ve actually been waiting for you, Miss Wells.”

Helena hesitated, but then accepted Rhys’ handshake.  Samara also offered to shake; Helena’s hand was warm, with some interesting calluses.  Her grip was strong, and Samara met that strength with her own.

She could tell that Helena was impressed.  “Well, you’ve found me…or, should I say, I’ve found you,” she answered as she took her hand back.

“Tea?” Rhys offered, lifting the pot.

“Don’t mind if I do.”  Helena waved toward one of the girls on the floor, who brought over a fine china teacup and saucer.

She seemed surprised when Rhys did the pouring, but didn’t comment.  Instead, she added cream and sugar to her cup, stirring almost daintily with a silver spoon. 

Rhys topped off Samara’s cup, and she thanked her friend for it.  Helena must have caught her accent, because one eyebrow went up and she enquired, “American?”

Samara recalled from their research that America had been a major world power in this time period.  In fact, her accent was Boeshane, but apparently it was close enough to pass for an American one.  “You could say that,” she demurred, taking a sip. 

Helena accepted that.  “So, if you were looking for me, there must be something you want.”

“There is, actually.”  Rhys put another cake onto his plate, but didn’t eat it.  “We’re hoping you can help us with something.”

One side of Helena’s mouth went up in a slight smirk. “It depends on what you need help with.”

To be honest, Samara was somewhat intimidated, now that she was face-to-face with her ancestor.  Helena Wells was so much more than how the stories had painted her, and Samara didn’t feel as if she measured up in some way.  HG Wells had become a legend, with her novels – the majority of historical texts now acknowledged that the famous author had actually been a woman.  Samara was a highly-trained scientist, but nothing on the scope of the woman sharing tea with them.

Still, she had to convince her to get those eggs for them.  Samara hoped she was up to the task.

Rhys caught her eye, giving her a small nod of encouragement.  He was with her, to support her, and to make certain she got through this.

It was time for her to take the lead in their mission.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

**_1 June 1891 (Old Earth Date)_ **

**_London, England_ **

 

“We know about the Warehouse,” she began. 

Helena didn’t seem to react, but Samara thought her eyes had hardened just a bit.  “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“Look, we’re not after any sorts of secrets,” Samara assured her.  “But we do need your help to retrieve something from the Warehouse.  Two somethings, actually, that need to go home.”

“I’m sorry,” Helena said, “but I can’t help you.”  She put her cup down, and made to stand.

“We wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important,” Rhys cut in hurriedly.  “We’re talking about two innocent lives here.”

That seemed to get Helena’s attention once more, but then Samara had known it would, as had Rhys when he’d said it.  The Warehouse agent settled back into his chair.  “Tell me, and if I don’t like what you say I shall leave, and the pair of you won’t leave this city again.”

Samara wasn’t too concerned about the threat.  River was standing by, and they would be able to use her wrist strap to get back to their own time even if they failed.  Still, it sounded very ominous, and Samara couldn’t help but react to it.

Helena caught her reaction, and her smile went sharp. 

Samara felt something touch her hand; she looked down, and Rhys’ fingers were so close to hers she could feel the heat of them.  He hadn’t actually touched them; to do that here would have been a scandal in this time and place.  But their closeness settled her nerves, and she took a deep breath.

Helena’s eyes hadn’t missed Rhys’ almost-touch.  But she didn’t react to it. 

“What we’re after are two dragons’ eggs,” Samara said. 

Helena leaned back in her chair, looking relaxed yet was anything but.  “And what makes you think we have such a thing?”

“We have it on good authority that the Warehouse has a pair of dragons’ eggs in their inventory.”

“And if we do, what do you want with them?”

Helena’s dark eyes were boring into Samara’s, but this time she wasn’t feeling at all intimidated.  She was on a mission to save two lives, and nothing was going to keep her from doing the very best job she could.  “We want to take them home, to their parents.”

“You expect me to believe that?”  Helena scoffed.

“Believe what you want,” Samara shrugged.  “But I’m telling you, if we don’t get them back in a certain amount of time, those children will die.”

The woman next to her stiffened visibly, her first major tell.  Samara knew she’d hit a nerve with that. 

“I don’t see why I should trust you.  You could be simply wanting to get curiosities to use for your own benefit.  It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Well, that hadn’t worked as well as Samara had hoped.  Well, she had one more card to play, and she wasn’t afraid to play it.

Rhys gave her another, supporting nod.  He was with her in this, whatever she decided to do.  They’d discussed it before travelling back into the past, only Samara had wanted to be able to convince her without bringing out their proverbial big gun.

Samara put her hand into her jacket pocket, and pulled out her trump.

The tarnished locket gleamed in the weak sunlight that streamed in through the soot-stained window.

Helena paled, her hand darting toward her throat, where the matching locket was resting.  Her eyes were shocked as she stared at Samara, and her mouth moved, but nothing came out. 

She leaned forward, meeting Helena’s gaze, willing every shred of conviction she had in that she was doing the right thing to show in her eyes.  “We’re from the future,” she murmured.  “That locket has been passed down in my family for generations.  My birth name is Samara Christina Wells.  I was born on a planet light years from here.  I am a scientist, a marine biologist.  I lived most of my life on Maker’s World, in a place that will be called the Boeshane Peninsula, circling a star that hasn’t been discovered yet.  I had two sons, but one of them is…gone.” She swallowed, wondering if Gray would ever be healed enough to leave the Lost Lands.  “The other is one of the bravest men I have had the honour to meet.  He is the mate to the Last Dragon, and those two little children need to be raised with a loving family who will be there for them, no matter what.  Please, will you help us?”

Samara didn’t want to show just how scared she was that she’d just bared her soul and it wouldn’t work, so she sat, and waited, knowing that her words had to convince the woman sitting next to her, knowing that the fate of two children were resting with an ancestor she could never be completely honest with. 

There was something else she wanted to tell Helena, but she didn’t dare.

She couldn’t change history.  What was going to happen next month would taint Helena for the rest of her life, and Samara couldn’t warn her. 

That was the worst thing about travelling into the past: knowing what was going to happen that was so horrible and yet nothing could be done to stop it.

It was like knowing that River was actually dead in the past, and that she’d lost her chance to mend fences with her son.  Samara couldn’t say a thing to her about it.

“You…”  Helena was obviously gobsmacked at Samara’s long line of confessions.  She shook her head somewhat violently, as if it would help in clearing her mind of the information Samara had just dumped onto her.

Samara had no idea what they were going to do if this didn’t work.  River had claimed that she’d made every attempt to break into the Warehouse to retrieve the eggs, but the security was something she’d been unable to get past.  Most likely magical, and despite having a sorcerer for a son River herself didn’t have a shred of magic in her.  And Samara doubted she’d have trusted any other magic user well enough to put the futures of two innocents into their hands.

It really would have been the perfect sort of adventure for River to have taken her son on, and yet she hadn’t.  She’d come to them, thinking that Samara would be convincing enough.

She’d suspected that River had known that Samara had been there, in Ddraig Llyn, which was why she’d chosen that particular time to visit.  Her thoughts had brought her confirmation, of a sort. 

She held Rhys’ opinion about time travel, honestly.

Helena seemed to come to some sort of decision.  She sat up straight, taking a sip of her cooling tea.  She made a face at it, and then set the cup back down.  “Alright, let’s say I believe you.”

“She’s not lying,” Rhys retorted, a fine edge of outrage in his voice.  Samara felt a warmth flare in her chest at his defending her word to this stranger.

Helena’s eyebrows went up in surprise.  “You two certainly are a strange pair.”

That had Rhys laughing.  “Well, that’s certainly not the worst thing anyone’s ever said about me.  Not so sure about Samara, though.”

Samara rolled her eyes.  “Please.  I was a biologist born into a family of adventurous adrenaline junkies.  Haven’t you ever wondered where Jack got it from?”

“Yeah, but you ended up on a colony world that was under constant threat of raiding.  I’d say Jack got it from you just as honestly as from your own Mam and Tad.”

Alright, Samara couldn’t argue with _that_ observation.

“And just where did you get your adventurous proclivities then?” she challenged, taking the opening for the chance to get to know her companion just a little better, not caring that her distant ancestor was sitting with them, watching them as they bantered, gathering information from their actions in order to make the best decision possible.

Rhys laughed.  “My great-grandfather saved this bloody planet from a tear in the fabric of space and time.  That sort of thing is bound to make a difference to a person’s upbringing.”

“You’re going to tell me all about that, as soon as we get home.”

“And just how are you gonna convince me to do that?” he teased. 

Samara felt something hot and sharp in her chest; something she hadn’t felt since Franklin.  It had only been a couple of days…but was she actually falling for this man?

She shook off that train of thought, instead leaning across the table, hoping that the expression on her face was the playful smirk she was aiming for.  “I’m sure I can come up with something,” she purred.

She had the pleasure of seeing Rhys blush.  “It’s gotta be something in the water in in the 51st century, woman, that makes you all like that.  I worked with Himself for years and he could still manage to shock me, so I shouldn’t be surprised that his Mam is the same.”

Samara laughed so hard she almost faceplanted into her tea, and she was aware that quite a few of the patrons were staring. 

She didn’t care.  They weren’t going to be in this time long enough that it made a difference that people thought she was making some sort of spectacle of herself.

“So,” Helena put in, “you’re from the 51st century?” Her dark eyes were gleaming with excitement.  She was evidently curious in knowing more, and Samara wasn’t exactly sure she should tell her ancestor all that much.  The last thing she wanted to know was damage the timelines by saying the wrong thing.

Still, her saying what year she and Rhys were from wouldn’t hurt.  “Actually, it’s the 52nd century now.  It’s Earth Standard Date 5119, to be more precise.  Earth has expanded out amongst the stars, and has worlds in twelve galaxies.”

“But how do you travel between the stars?” Helena was leaning forward, her previous surprise and confusion forgotten as the scientist that Samara knew she’d been came to the fore.  “Surely the distances would be far too immense for any sort of connectedness between worlds – “

Then her words stopped, and she looked sheepish.  “And you can’t tell me, because of future knowledge.”

“Afraid not,” Rhys answered.  “But it’s bloody amazing.”

“The future must be different, if such curses are so easily accepted.”

Rhys frowned, and then he laughed.  “Oh yeah, I forgot people didn’t say that sort of thing in this time.  Sorry if I offended.”

“No offence taken,” Helena assured him.  She shook her head.  “Alright, you two have sold me on the notion that you’re both from the future, just from the way you’re obviously comfortable talking about it.  But how do I know you’re being honest about those eggs?  Surely they aren’t viable any longer.  According to what we’ve been able to discover about them, they’ve existed for about fifteen hundred years.”

Samara felt the blood drain a little from her face.  From what she’d gleaned from Ianto’s talking about just what actual dragon eggs were, it certainly was coming up on the limit of the magic that would have been protecting the children. 

“Dragon eggs can protect their precious cargoes for up to two thousand years,” Rhys answered solemnly.  “So, yeah…we need to get those eggs back and opened soon, or else it’ll be too late.”

“There’s something else,” Helena went on.  “Every artefact brought into the Warehouse is dosed in a neutraliser that does just that: neutralises its magical power.  Those eggs would have gone through the same process.  I cannot guarantee they’ll be…undamaged.”

That didn’t sound good at all. Could whatever Warehouse agent who found the eggs have inadvertently killed the babies within them?  Samara didn’t want to think that, but it was a possibility.

Her eyes met Rhys’, and she could see how upset he was at the thought that those children would never be born once more.  Then his face turned determined, and he looked back at Helena.  “It doesn’t matter,” he said.  “If those poor wee children were killed, then they deserve to be buried with their own people.  There are ceremonies for that sort of thing, and they should be laid to rest in the proper way, and not rot in their shells.  The parents who wanted to protect them that way would want that.”  He then rubbed his eyes tiredly.  “Goddess, I hope they aren’t gone already.  That would just about kill both Jack and Ianto…”

Samara couldn’t help but nod at that sentiment.  Her boys loved each and every child they’d raised, both natural and adopted, and to lose two before they even had a chance to live would hurt them so very badly, and the eighty-five that River had managed to save would only just make up for that loss. 

Still, Rhys was right.  If those babies were truly gone, then leaving them in the Warehouse was exactly the wrong thing to do.

She reached over and touched Helena’s wrist, just below the cuff of her coat.  “Please,” she begged.  “Let us take those babies home.  They don’t deserve to be in your Warehouse, just a couple of curiosities gathering dust, to be forgotten and unmourned.  They need a family… and if that’s not possible, then a place to rest.”

Samara knew the moment that Helena Wells was finally swayed.  Her dark eyes darted once more to the ancient locket on the tabletop, and then back up to Samara’s.  “Alright.  I’ll do it.  Meet me in the alley behind the café at midnight tonight.  Don’t be late.”

Relief slammed through Samara like a tsunami.  Tears gathered in her eyes, and she wasn’t ashamed who saw them.  “Thank you so much,” she whispered. 

“Looks like you get to be a Gran…again,” Rhys commented, his own happiness evident in his grin.  “Dead sexy Gran, if you ask me.”

Samara rolled her eyes.  “Rhys Williams, you are bad.”  Still, she was pleased by the compliment.  “You’d better not say that sort of thing around Jack, he doesn’t take the fact that you’re flirting with his mother all that well, despite his comments to the contrary.”

“Totally worth it.”

That set Helena to laughing.  “Something tells me I’d love the future.”

Samara had done a bit of studying up on her ancestor before they’d come back with River, and Helena Wells had been quite progressive for her time.  Her advocacy of what had been called ‘free love’ back in a time of such stringent societal norms was, in and of itself, amazing. 

Helena would fit in very well with the 52nd century.

It was too bad she’d never see it.

“Yes,” Samara murmured, her heart breaking for the woman sitting next to her, “I think you would, too.”

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

**_2 June 1891 (Old Earth Date)_ **

**_London, England_ **

****

Helena met them at ten minutes past midnight, carrying a burlap sack with her.

Samara would have felt much more unsafe if it hadn’t been for Rhys.  His sturdiness kept her nerves under control as they lingered in the shadows of the dirty alleyway, the distinctive sounds of rodents rummaging through the trash that littered the cobblestones.

She would be very glad to get back to her home time.

Certainly, the future wasn’t perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination.  But it was familiar, and Samara knew how to handle things then.  She would be able to openly carry her faithful rifle on such a mission, and Rhys would have been armed as well. 

But now, they had to be unarmed. 

At least River Song was up on the rooftop, keeping a watch.

 _“She’s here,”_ River’s voice whispered in Samara’s ear, through the comm unit she was wearing.  It had doubled as a translation device, which was a good thing as Samara didn’t speak Old Earth English.  Rhys did, however, and he’d used the opportunity to have his own translator shut down. 

His accent was slightly different than when his words were being translated, and Samara though she might very well miss the changes when they got back home.

She’d asked him, as they were waiting for midnight to get there, if he ever considered going back to his own time. 

“Nah,” he’d answered.  “I’ve got all I want now.  There’s no need to go back.”

She’d been glad of that.  She’d have missed him terribly if he left.

That realisation had stunned her a little.

They had only known each other for several days, and yet Samara had come to expect Rhys’ presence.  He’d slotted himself into her life seamlessly, as if he’d always belonged there.  It was considerably more than wanting to have sex with him; well, there was that, because she thought him quite pleasing to look at, and he made her laugh, plus he was quietly intelligent, and fiercely loyal to the people he cared about. 

Rhys wasn’t as serious as her Franklin had been, and had a sarcastic sense of humour. He was highly opinionated; Ianto had told her that his nickname back in the days of the old Torchwood team had been Rhys the Rant, because he had a tendency to carry on about things that he believed in.  He felt deeply and well, that being evident over Nathan and what had happened to her young great-grandson.  They’d been to visit on Hubworld, and she’d seen how much he cared for Nathan, and Nathan had adopted him as another uncle.  Samara knew he would make a wonderful father.

That was the drawback.  She was of an age where it would be nearly impossible for her to get pregnant again, and Rhys deserved to have children of his own.  She would never give him that, and in her mind that took her out of any sort of relationship equation.

Oh, not that she believed that her own self-worth was predicated on her ability to get pregnant.  That wasn’t the case at all.  But Rhys deserved to be happy, and Samara could tell that a family would do that for him.  She wasn’t about to stand in the way of that.

The scuff of a shoe on the cobblestones had Samara pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind.  One of the shadows was moving, and she was grateful that River had already warned them that it was Helena, or else she would have been more startled than she was.

She was wearing a black coat, which helped her blend into the darkness.  The lighter colour of the bag she held cradled in her arms negated the effect, but Helena didn’t seem to mind.  She smiled as she noticed Samara and Rhys waiting for her, but she didn’t say anything; she simply passed the bag to Rhys, who accepted it reverently, letting the burlap fall away to reveal two oval shapes that had Samara gasping in joy.

Her hands trembling, she reached out for one of the eggs.  It felt slightly gritty under her fingers, but she lifted it, pulling it to her and holding it against her chest, rocking it as if it were a child that was aware of their surroundings.  “Oh, there you are, sweetheart,” she crooned.  “You and your sibling are going to be so very loved in your new home…”

“If I had any doubts about this,” Helena murmured, “they were just dispelled.  You really do love those little dragons, and you haven’t even met them yet.”  She sighed.  “And you might not.  They’ve been exposed to high levels of neutraliser.  There’s no telling what that might do to them.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rhys answered.  He was holding the other egg, and the expression on his face said that he was already besotted with the idea of the baby within.  “They’ll be going home, where they belong.”

“The future sounds wonderful,” Helena said wistfully. 

“It’s not perfect,” Rhys replied, echoing Samara’s earlier thoughts, “but it has its good side.  And family is the most important thing.”

“That it is,” Samara agreed. 

“Well,” Helena drawled, “as nice as this has been, I should really be getting home before those eggs are missed.  Not that I think it would be right away, but they will eventually, and I should solidify my alibi for this evening.”

“Thank you,” Samara told her gratefully.

“No, Mr Williams is correct…family is the important thing, and children are the future.  I was glad to do the right thing in this circumstance.”

“You did.  We’ll take very good care of these babies.”

“I doubt we shall see each other again, but I do wish you the best of luck with them.”  With a jaunty salute, Helena Wells turned on her heel and left, fading into the shadows.

Samara desperately wanted to call her back.  To repay her kindness by warning her about her daughter, and what was going to happen to her daughter, Christina, in the next month.  Family _was_ important, and Helena didn’t deserve to lose hers this way.

But she couldn’t.

The future was balanced on Helena’s actions, and if Christina didn’t die then Samara herself would have never been born…which meant far too many consequences for the Empire…and for Samara’s family.

It came down to family in the end.

There was a rustling sound, and then River was joining them.  She was smiling somewhat smugly, but then Samara thought she’d earned it.  After all, it had been her idea for Samara to come back and try to convince Helena to help them get the eggs.

“Mission accomplished then,” River pronounced.  She flipped open her Vortex Manipulator.  “Let’s head back, shall we?”

She pushed a couple of buttons, then held out her wrist.  Without needing to be told, both Rhys and Samara rested their hands on the wrist strap, clutching their eggs tightly to them as River took them back to the future.

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

****

The lurch of time travel was something Samara knew she would never get used to, but at least she didn’t get sick on the return trip like she had when they’d arrived in 19th century London.

Still, she almost lost her balance as the world reformed about her, and she easily recognised the lounge of their family home as she regained her equilibrium.

Rhys said something, but he hadn’t turned his translator back on yet, so she didn’t understand, wishing she’d left hers on until they got back; although she was fairly certain he was cursing at the rough ride. 

Her face must have shown her confusion, because Rhys said what was obviously another curse word and reached up to touch his comm, reactivating the translator.  “Sorry about that, forgot I’d turned it off.”

“That’s fine,” she assured him. 

“What the hell?”

Samara’s head turned toward the voice, and just then noticed her son standing there, hands on his hips, looking extremely put out. 

“A strange door appears on our wall, and then you two vanish…”

And then Jack’s eyes went wide as he realised what she and Rhys were holding.

“Sorry about that,” River butted in, “but I had to borrow your mother because she was the only hope I had to get those eggs, since it was her ancestor who had them.”

The wonder on her son’s face was something Samara would never get tired of seeing.  Then he twisted slightly, shouting for Ianto over his shoulder, his eyes not leaving the precious burdens that she and Rhys were carrying.

“What is it?” Ianto came around the corner of from the kitchen.  James and Robyn were with him, and Samara wondered where the other children were. 

He stopped in his tracks the moment he caught sight of the eggs.

“Goddess,” he breathed.  “Are those…?”

“And those aren’t the only ones,” River said proudly.  With that announcement, she keyed open the stasis vault, swinging the door open with a flourish.

Ianto looked as if he wanted to faint.

“How?” Jack blurted.  He didn’t look all that steady on his feet, either. 

Samara could understand.  It was a shock to both of them, to see so many dragon eggs there when they’d both been so certain that none had survived.  Of course, that was all down to River and her egg hunt, that Ianto hadn’t been able to find any eggs when he’d been able to search. 

But, what would Ianto have done if he’d found those children back when he was looking for them?  He couldn’t have released them from their shells without a Dragonlord, and one of those hadn’t existed until Merlin had been reborn.  Chances were, those eggs would have become traps for the young life within them, and they never would have had a chance at life.

Like they did now.

As River went on to explain how she’d found that first egg in the Royal Treasury of a long-dead Russian Tsarina, Samara very carefully put her egg into its place within the vault, and Rhys did the same, needing them protected against anything that might happen.  And, to be honest, Samara was actually shaking just a little and she didn’t want to risk dropping it, after everything they’d gone through to get it.

She thought about her ancestor, the woman who’d been so damaged by her losses that she’d thought the world wasn’t worth existing any longer.  Samara wondered if, somehow, their presence had made it worse.  After all, wouldn’t Helena have thought the future was gone, once her only daughter was dead?  She had no way of knowing that Samara wasn’t descended from Christina Wells, but from another child that was born so much later.  Had knowing about the future made Helena’s despair that much worse?

There was no way of really knowing.

Her eyes couldn’t leave the egg that she’d placed within the stasis vault.  There was also no way of knowing if the baby within was even still living.  She hoped so.  She didn’t want to think that they’d gone all that way…

No, what she’d told Helena was true.  It didn’t matter.  That little one was home, and living or long gone that was what was important.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and Samara knew it was Rhys even before she turned to look up into his face.  There was hope and joy there, and it made him radiant in a way that had her breath catch.  He nodded once, as if he could read her mind and see her suddenly tumultuous thoughts, but he said nothing.

Together, the two of them stood there, listening to River spin her tales of adventures as she searched for these dragon children, and Samara was glad to be there with him, surrounded by family, current and future, knowing that her life had taken such a cosmic shift that it should have made her dizzy.

It didn’t, though.  Because she was home.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

 

Later that day, after River had gone and things had settled back into some semblance of normality, Samara found herself standing on the edge of the lake, looking out over the calm water, the reflections of the mountains dark in its clear surface.  Birds were singing somewhere in the distance, and she simply listened to the sound of it as its peace soothed her mind.

It was hard to believe that so much had happened in just such a short of time.

She was a little irritated at River for not staying, but at the same time she was happy, as it would cause too much pain to Merlin, knowing that his mother was dead and yet standing there in the home he’d practically grew up in.  She’d pled business, and when she’d mentioned the Great Library everyone had known that it was a good idea that Merlin not see her.  This was her death, and it would have been too tempting to say anything to her about it, to try to avert it.  They couldn’t do that; too many lives relied on River and her team going to the Library, and for her to sacrifice herself there. 

Rhys had been right when he’d said that time travel wasn’t a good thing, but he’d been wrong at the same time.

If it hadn’t been for River and her Vortex Manipulator, there currently wouldn’t be eighty-seven children waiting to be born. 

Ianto had called the entire family.  He and Jack had decided that they weren’t going to have any more children at this time, but they were going to give the other members of the clan their choice to pick as many of the eggs as they wanted.  Merlin would be able to call the children forth.

A part of her wanted to accept one of the children for herself, but she couldn’t.  She was a mere mortal, and any child she adopted wouldn’t even make it to adulthood before it was her time.  Still, that wouldn’t stop her from being a great-grandmother to them; to love them fully and well. 

Samara felt so very grateful that Ianto and Anwyn had come for her on Maker’s World.  She’d been alone, and now she was surrounded by family who loved her, and who she loved in return.  She’d never be alone again.

 _“Your thoughts are deep,”_ the unmistakable voice of the Water Dragon startled her.  As Samara watched, the Great Dragon breached the surface of the lake, hovering on blue-green wings, her kind eyes regarding Samara as if she could see into her very soul.

Maybe she could. It certainly wouldn’t surprise Samara in the least.

“I’m sure you already know why.”

The Water Dragon smiled, revealing curved, sharp teeth.  _“I do.  It is a happy day indeed.  For so very long, our son was the Last.  That will never be true again.  Together, he and his mate will bring the dragons out of the darkness and into the light of the universe once more, as it was foretold.”_

“You might want to have said that to them,” Samara said exasperatedly.

_“We did…well, in perhaps not so many words…”_

“You are insufferable.”

 _“That did not need to be said,”_ the Water Dragon laughed.

Samara shook her head fondly.  She couldn’t help it.  The moment a dragon and his daughter had stepped foot onto her boat, her life had changed for the stranger.  It was a wonderful sort of strange, though, and Samara wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

_“Have you given any thought to becoming my Named Friend?”_

Honestly, she really hadn’t.  Far too much had happened in the last several hours for her to have considered anything else but getting those eggs back from the Warehouse, and of her ancestor and what was going to be Helena Wells’ future.  It saddened her, but there was nothing to be done.

She’d also been thinking about Rhys Williams, far more than she should have.

She hadn’t known him long enough.

As if summoned by that single consideration, Rhys stepped up next to her, his own eyes watching the Water Dragon as she settled carefully on the lakeshore, shaking out her wings and flinging moisture everywhere.  He laughed at that.

“I was really glad to know you lot were still around,” he commented. 

 _“Rhys Williams,”_ the Dragon said warmly.  _“Welcome home.”_

“You met the Great Dragons before?” Even as Samara was asking, she was mentally smacking herself for it. “Of course you have.  You were on Jack’s original team.”

“I was at his and Ianto’s first mating,” Rhys replied.  “Now, that was a party and no mistake.” He laughed.  “We had a lot of parties in our time, but that one…it was special.  Knowing that Jack can still change into a dragon, if only in the valley…I’m glad to hear it.  Guess it was just the old romantic in me, but knowing that Ianto and Jack could do the whole mating thing officially was a wonderful thing.”  He took a step toward the Water Dragon, as if he was going to stroke her scales, but then stopped just short of actually doing it.  “I should have thanked you and the others for that, years ago.  Sorry I never got around to it.”

 _“Late is better than never,”_ the Water Dragon answered, smiling, her eyes twinkling.  _“You are a good friend to our son, Rhys.  Never doubt that.”_

The ground rumbled slightly underfoot, and a shadow seemed to rise up around them.  Samara wasn’t worried; she knew very well who was making an appearance.

Brown and green scales formed in the air beside the seated figure of the Water Dragon.  The Earth Dragon seemed more solid to Samara, and she had to wonder if it was the nature of the Great Dragon to be that way, as deeply connected to the planet as he was. 

Rhys laughed.  “So, you’re putting in an appearance as well.  I’m not surprised.”

The Earth Dragon’s wise, dark eyes crinkled at the corners in what was unmistakably joy.  _“It is a fine day, is it not?  I am certain our other siblings will be here shortly, to see the miracle that River Song has brought to the valley.”_

 _“I believe they are giving us a chance to get some business out of the way,”_ the Water Dragon said teasingly.

 _“Indeed.”_ The Earth Dragon met Samara’s eyes.  _“I am, of course, aware of the offer my sister has made to you, Samara.  She shows excellent taste.”_

“Wait a minute,” Rhys broke in, “I must have missed that part!”  His eyes were filled with awe as he looked at Samara.  “You were asked?”

Samara didn’t need to have the question spelled out for her.  “I was, but I haven’t come to a decision yet.”

“It’s a great honour,” her friend went on.  “I knew the Great Dragon Friends back in my time.” His face took on a faraway look, as he remembered.  “Rhiannon was the Friend of Water then.  She was descended from the line of priests and priestesses that took in a young, traumatised dragon who’d lost his family in a horrific way.”

“Ianto,” Samara murmured.  He’d told her the story on their journey from Maker’s World, and Samara had wept for him.  It had been so very long ago, and yet those murders kept shaping him even to this day. 

Rhys nodded.  “She was a force of nature!  She was the one who presided over Jack and Ianto’s mating.  I know she’d be pleased that you were asked.”

“What about the others?” Samara hadn’t heard this story yet, and she was intrigued. 

“Alice was the first, at least that’s what we all thought until Rhiannon mentioned something about it.  She was the Friend of Air, and Jack’s daughter by a marriage that ended badly, cause her Mam couldn’t handle Jack’s immortality.”  Rhys sounded a bit outraged by that, and Samara couldn’t blame him.  It wasn’t Jack’s fault that he was immortal, and to reject him for it…that was just wrong.  “She went on to marry Patrick.  He was one of my best mates.  He was also Phillip Coulson’s nephew.  Did Torchwood and Jack and Ianto proud when he took over the London branch.

“Then there was Kathy. Kathy Swanson.  Friend of Fire and the best damned copper I’d ever had the pleasure to meet.  She was a friend of Torchwood’s as well, but she always refused to formally join the team, even after she and Tosh got married.  That’s Toshiko.  She was Torchwood’s technical expert.  Brilliant, she was.  There was no one like her.  Ianto thought of her as a sister, and made no secret of it.  That was why the Earth Dragon asked her; because she was willing to do anything to make sure Jack and Ianto were happy.”

 _“Toshiko was an excellent Friend,”_ the Earth Dragon confirmed.  _“I still miss her.  However you, Rhys Williams, would also make an excellent Friend of Earth, if you so choose.”_

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters after this one, and I'll be posting both of them tomorrow. :)

 

**_19 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

 

Rhys’ mouth dropped open.  “Wait…what?” He was completely and totally blindsided by the offer.

Samara knew exactly how he felt.

 _“It is time for us to choose new Friends,”_ the Earth Dragon explained.  _“There have been no Great Dragon Friends in many years.  Water and I have chosen.  As for Fire and Air…I am certain they have someone in mind as well, although they do not share with us.”_ He looked amused by the whole idea.

“Why don’t you ever choose immortal Friends?” Samara asked, thinking of Jack, Phillip, Merlin, and Henry, of all whom deserved this more than she did.

 _“Their destinies lie elsewhere,”_ the Earth Dragon answered.  _“Or else, yes, we may have chosen any of them.  However, we are constrained against it.  Mortals are meant to be Great Dragon Friends, not immortals.”_

She wondered why that was, but didn’t argue about it.  “But why me?  I’m not that special.”

“Bloody hell, woman,” Rhys exclaimed.  “You so very much deserve this!  Everything you’ve been through, everything you’ve lost…and yet you’re still amazing!  Smart, gorgeous, compassionate, courageous…plus, there’s that whole marine biologist thing you’ve got going on. The Water Dragon couldn’t have chosen anymore better.”

Samara was warmed by his words.  But, still…  “I wasn’t so compassionate to my own son, after Gray was taken.”  She wanted to think she’d made up for all of that, by coming back into Jack’s life and by making the decision to send Gray to the Lost Lands, when Jack wouldn’t have been able to.

Rhys sighed.  “You were hurt.  And you did eventually see the wrong in what you did to Jack.  He doesn’t blame you…and I don’t blame you.  I was there, Samara…I was there when Gray came back, and I saw what he did.”  He reached out, taking her hand in his.  “Neither of you were to blame for any of that.  Shit happens, and you just have to deal with it the best you could.  You were mad; losing your husband, and losing Gray, and you took it out on the person who was available.  We’re only human, Samara.  And Jack forgave you a long time ago.”

She grasped his hand tightly, hoping that she would see her gratitude since she was incapable of speaking in that moment.  Somehow, hearing it from this man was different than hearing it from her own son, and she didn’t know why.

Wait…yes, she did.

It came to her.

Rhys wasn’t obligated to love her, not like her own son and his mate and their entire family.  Rhys wasn’t under any sort of pressure to forgive her, simply because of the family aspect.  He was, in essence, an outsider, although one that had been accepted wholeheartedly within the Harkness-Jones clan.  He had nothing to gain or lose by saying the truth to her.

 _“Rhys is correct,”_ the Water Dragon affirmed.  _“Humans are capable of so much forgiveness, and your son has done this for you, knowing that you – being human – needed a focus for your anger and loss.  I will not lie…it will take Jack a very long time to accept that he was blameless in what happened to Grayson, but he will…and now, you must do the same for this.”_

“Listen to the Dragon,” a voice murmured behind them.  “She speaks a hell of a lot of sense…for a spirit who usually likes riddles far too much to give a straight answer.”

Jack was there, standing just a few steps away, hands deep in his pockets and his feet bare.  He had a bashful expression that Samara could recall seeing only when he’d been a child, before blood and death had caused him to grow up so quickly. 

The Water Dragon was laughing.  _“If we spoke not in riddles, you would not be able to figure things out for yourselves.”_

Samara’s eldest son snorted in amusement.  “Keep saying it, and some day we might even accept it.”  He took a step closer.  “Did I hear that right? You asked my mother to be one of your Friends?  And Rhys to be an Earth Friend?”

_“Yes, you did.”_

“It’s about time you do something about being Friendless.  Ianto swears you’ve all been pining, but I haven’t seen it.  Still, he has a better sense of these sorts of things than I do.”

 _“Do not sell yourself short, my son,”_ the Earth Dragon chided softly.  _“You see better than most.”_

“Yeah, but Ianto’s got me beat, at least where you’re all concerned.”  He glanced at Samara and then Rhys, and back again.  “If you want an opinion, I would think you’d both make fantastic Great Dragon Friends.”

Samara hadn’t been certain about it, not until Jack had said what he had.  If anyone’s opinion meant more to her than anyone’s, it was her son. 

She wrapped him up into the fiercest hug she could manage.  Samara had come so very close to losing him, and to have him back in her life was the ultimate gift. 

And now, she was being offered yet another way for her to completely belong to this wonderful family that had grown up around him.

After a while, she stepped away, and then turned toward the Water Dragon.  “Alright, I agree.  Is there anything I need to do in particular?”

The Water Dragon looked very happy indeed.  She rose from the curled-up position she’d adopted, her wings flaring out behind her.  _“I Name you Dragon-Friend, Samara Christina Wells Harkness.  You are a True Friend, and your memory will be cherished by all who come after.  I Bless you.  Will you receive my Mark, as a symbol of your acceptance?”_

Samara wasn’t magical but even she could sense the power from just those words.  This meant she would be bound to this place forever…and she wasn’t at all bothered by that idea.  “I will,” she said, sealing the magic.

There was a sudden tingling at the small of her back, that quickly grew into a burning.  She leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees, until it was gone, and she took a deep breath as she stood upright once more.  “I take it, that was the mark you were mentioning?”

_“It was.”_

Samara wanted to see it, but kept where she was.  “Rhys, it’s your turn.”

“I’m still not sure I’m the right man for the job,” he said uncertainly. 

 _“You are,”_ the Earth Dragon said.  _“Will you take my Mark, Rhys?  Will you be Named?”_

He looked hesitant.  His eyes darted toward Samara, who gave him an encouraging nod.

“Alright,” he finally answered.  “I’ll do it.”

_“Then I Name you Dragon-Friend, Rhys Alun Williams.  You are a True Friend, and your memory will be cherished by all who come after.  I Bless you.  Will you receive my Mark, as a symbol of your acceptance?”_

“Yeah,” he answered.  “Yes, I will.”

Rhys flinched, which Samara recognised as the mark coming in; it had to have felt the same way hers had, and it hadn’t been comfortable. 

When it was done, he grinned at Jack.  “It’s in the same place Tosh’s was,” he said, awestruck.

Jack was beaming.  He reached forward and pulled them both in for a hug at the same time.  Samara had absolutely no problem with that, wrapping one arm about her son, and the other about the man who’d become special to her in such a short amount of time. 

As they stood there, on the shore of an ancient lake, with two dragon spirits watching over them.  Samara Harkness – formerly Wells – finally, inevitably, felt as if she was home for good.

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised. here are the last two chapters of "The Samara Wells Trilogy". I'm so glad you've all liked Samara! Thank you all so much for reading.
> 
> Next story is taking a little break from the Future-Verse, to visit the Third Series once more, with a story called "Tony Stark's Scenic Guide to Cardiff", which will start posting tomorrow.

 

**_20 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

****

Samara was surprised that the entire family had managed to gather together in such a short period of time, but then it wasn’t every day that eighty-seven new siblings arrive on the scene.

Merlin was understandably upset at having missed seeing his mother, but Samara could also see the relief in him.  She couldn’t imagine how hard it was for him, knowing that River was dead and yet could show up at any time, given time travel.  Arthur made certain to stay near him, and Merlin kept cuddling little Rory, as if comforted by his son’s presence.

Phillip and Clint had managed to get Nathan there, as well.  Apparently, the young dragon had just been cleared to change into his human form again, but he still looked pale and tired.  Lisa hovered around him when neither of his fathers could, fetching him things as he sat on the sofa in the lounge, smiling at her as she hovered.  Rhys was almost as bad, but he seemed content to let Lisa do most of the work. 

Even Cadi had made it.  Samara was aware that her privateering granddaughter was often out of touch, so it was a surprise to see her there.  She was alone, and Samara wondered just when she was going to meet this elusive lover of hers, but from what she’d heard neither Jack nor Ianto would have been pleased to see John Hart.  But then, after all of the history between Hart and her sons, Samara couldn’t blame them for it. 

When she’d arrived for the first time had been the last instance of everyone being in the family home.  To have that happen again warmed her heart.  To have such a large family, and to know it was about to grow larger, was something she’d never dreamed of.  To be surrounded by all of these wonderful people, who had accepted her into their lives, was a miracle.

“Everyone,” Jack called out.  He stepped into the centre of the room, gaining the entire family’s attention.  “By now, you all know what’s happened, and that we now have eighty-seven dragons’ eggs currently in stasis, awaiting to have the children inside them called forth.  Ianto and I,” he favoured his mate with a fond smile, “have decided that it’s too early for us to take on any more kids, and with the nature of the stasis vault the eggs won’t deteriorate for millennia at least.  So, we only thought it was fair that, if any of you wanted to adopt, you would be given the choice.”

That had every single one in the room murmuring.  Samara held her breath, knowing that at least one couple would step up, from discussions she’d overheard or been a part of.

In fact, within a minute Rowena was moving forward, Henry at her side.  “We’ve been wanting children for a little while now,” she said, “and this is the right time.”

“In fact,” Henry added, glancing at his mate and getting a nod in return, “we think we might take two.  After all, there’s a tradition of twins in this family.”

That got a laugh from Ianto.  “Dragons don’t have litters, I seem to recall saying once.”

“You did,” Jack confirmed, the grin lighting up his face.  “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

“One set,” the dragon patriarch moaned dramatically. “One set of twins, and see the teasing I get.”

“Actually,” Clint spoke up, “there’s two in this family.”

“Damn straight,” Nicole piped up from her set on the sofa next to her brother.  Nathan and Nicole might have looked different, but they were very much twins.

“Then you and Henry will get the first choice,” Jack agreed. 

Using his own wrist strap, Jack entered the code that would open the vault.  With a soft sigh, the door unsealed, and Jack pulled it open, revealing the shelves of eggs within.

Rowena and Henry went into the vault.  All of the eggs looked the same, so there would be no way of telling what sort of dragon would come from what egg, but Samara knew that wouldn’t matter to anyone. 

“Gran.” Rowena called from inside the vault, “which are the two eggs that you got from Helena Wells?  The ones we aren’t sure will even break?”

Suddenly, Samara couldn’t breathe.  They could have easily chosen different eggs, ones that would have a better chance, and not have been exposed to a substance that was detrimental to magic. 

A hand rested at the small of her back, right over the mark that the Water Dragon had given her.  She glanced over, and found Rhys looking at her, understanding in his dark eyes.  He nodded once, and that had Samara walking to the vault, and going to the pair of eggs that she and Rhys had brought back together.  “It’s these.”

Rowena hugged her, while Henry simply touched her on the shoulder in thanks.  As Samara stepped back, her granddaughter and her mate each took one of the eggs, and the left the vault.

Ianto was watching approvingly as the two of them left the vault, clutching their eggs fiercely, as if afraid to let them go.  Samara rejoined Rhys; he hadn’t moved from where she’d left him, and she wondered how he’d managed to sneak up on her like that.

“I think we’re up next,” Clint spoke up.  “But Phillip and I feel only confident to take one, thanks.”  The words were teasing, but the tone was serious, as if he was in awe of them for deciding on a pair.

After he and Phillip had made their choice, Anwyn and Gwaine took their turn.  Samara thought they were both brave for doing it; she knew that Anwyn had also been thinking about children, but the nature of her mating had left them both uncertain if it would ever happen.  Gwaine was a reincarnation, and it would have been difficult having to explain why any child’s dad would die, and then come back looking somewhat different over and over again, but it seemed as if they were willing to accept that. 

As was Emlyn and her mate, Aymara, although there was no guarantee that Aymara would come back after her time had come.  That was always the chance any of them took if they were unlucky enough not to find one of the very few immortals out there in the universe.  And yet, they were both stepping into the vault to make their own choice.

Gareth was next.  Samara had once heard him say he had no interest in ever taking a mate, yet there he was, accepting the responsibility for a child.  Still, he was steady, and could provide for an infant. 

Cadi was chewing her lip.  “I…want to, but I can’t offer any sort of life to a child.  Maybe one day I might decide I want to take the chance on raising one, but not right now.”

“That’s fair,” Ianto assured her.  “You can take as much time as you want.  There’s no rush, now that we can make certain the children will remain viable almost indefinitely.”

“I want to think about it, too,” Alun spoke up.  “Right now, I’m on a different world every standard month as a roaming Adjudicator, and it would be impossible to take care of a baby at this time.”

“Rory is too young for us to take on another child,” Arthur added.  “Perhaps in about a century…”  Merlin nodded his agreement.

“I’m not ready for a child,” Kaitlyn replied.

“Neither am I,” Morgan said.  “And raising a child on tour probably isn’t the best idea.  Besides, I have enough trouble wrangling my band and the crew, who act like children on the best days.”

“Hey!’ Nathan argued.  “We’re not that bad!”

“Yes, you are.”  Morgan reached over and ruffled Nathan’s white hair, and he wasn’t fast enough to keep her from messing it up.

“My job doesn’t allow for children,” Sabrina said.

“You can retire at any time,” Phillip told her calmly.  “I’d be losing one of my best operatives, but you can choose your own life over Torchwood.”

“I know,” she gave him a sad smile.  “But I’m just not ready.”  Samara could understand; Sabrina spent hardly any time with her own mate, who was also a Torchwood operative.  Belen stood next to her, but there seemed a distance between them, and Samara wondered if that space could ever be crossed.

“I don’t know about children,” Pryce admitted.  “I have my businesses and I’m not that much interested.  I might change my mind, but at this time it’s just not something I want to do.  Besides, I think I’m too young.”

“All of those reasons are perfectly acceptable ones,” Ianto reassured them all.  “But if you ever change your minds, you’ll let us know.”

That earned him a round of affirmations.

Jack turned to Merlin.  “So, are you ready to call some baby dragons out of their shells?”

Merlin handed Rory over to Arthur, giving his grandfather a large smile.  “You know it."

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

 

**_20 July 5119 (Earth Standard Date)_ **

**_Ddraig Llyn_ **

 

Jack and Ianto were the first ones out of the door.  Rhys offered Samara his arm, and she accepted it, giving him a soft smile.  They would need to talk after all of the noise had died down, because she was certain what she was feeling was mutual, but this wasn’t the time for it.  Later, they could discuss things. 

A small stone altar had appeared on the village green.  Samara knew that Rhys had raised it, with his newly-gained powers from the Earth Dragon.  Samara herself had woken up this morning, and she could feel the lake calling to her, like a song that only she could hear.  Instinctively, she knew she would have been able to call the water to her, and to bend it to her will. She needed much more in the way of training before she even attempted anything like that.

The residents of Ddraig Llyn must have gotten some sort of signal, because everyone was waiting for them when they arrived at the stone.  Those who were carrying eggs placed them gently upon the stone, and faint singing began, which heralded the appearance of the Great Dragons.

They were impressive.  Samara had thought so, even before she’d become the Friend of Water.  Earth and Water, Fire and Air; each of them arrived, becoming solid as they touched the grass, their presence a signal for things to begin.

The song sank into Samara’s bones, and she found herself singing along, even though she’d never heard it before, let alone the language that was falling from her lips.  It was a primal thing, a part of the world since the beginning of time, and she didn’t need to understand it to know what it was.

It was a song of joy, at the returning of children to their home.

As if on cue, every member of the family that had a dragon form changed.  This was the first time that Samara had seen them all like this, and her heart swelled near to bursting at the sheer majesty of the sight.  Green and blue, red and silver, aqua and black and purple…all the brilliant scales and wings and the power of dragons surrounding them. 

And then, there was Jack.  Her own child, so magnificent in his blue-grey scales…and yet, to her, he was far more handsome in his human body.  But then, she _was_ slightly biased.

Merlin came forward, leaving Arthur’s side to approach the stone.  He rested one long-fingered hand on the first egg – one of the pair that Rowena and Henry had chosen – and spoke a single word.

Power echoed over the valley as the song increased in volume.  Samara, though, suddenly stopped singing, feeling herself pulled forward to watch her great-grandson work his magic. 

For a moment, she thought the shell wasn’t going to crack, that the child within wouldn’t emerge into the world.  But, as her heart was just beginning to break, a long fissure appeared in the hard surface of the shell, from top to bottom. 

A blue eye appeared in the crack, and soon a blue-scaled head with a single red horn began pushing open the egg.  Somehow, Henry had gotten to the side of the stone from where he’d been standing next to Rowena, pulling at the shell, helping the tiny thing to emerge. 

There was a high-pitched cry, and the baby was in Henry’s arms, the immortal laughing in delight as the small dragon wriggled in his hold.  Not only was the horn red, but so were the leathery vanes of the wings, and the tiny claws on each foot. 

Somehow, Samara knew this child was a girl.

 _“Name the child,”_ the Water Dragon prompted.

Henry glanced back at Rowena, and she narrowed her eyes at him.  “Don’t even think it,” she warned him.  “We are not naming our daughter Prudence.”

“But it’s a perfectly fine name,” Henry argued.

“Henry Morgan…you proclaim that child Prudence and you’ll be sleeping on the sofa for the next century.”

Samara couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out.  Apparently, neither could the rest of the gathering, because the song took on a chuckling quality to it, even if it didn’t cease completely.  They’d obviously been discussing baby names at some point, if they were having this argument now.

“Fine,” Henry capitulated, even though he didn’t sound so very upset about it.  “Jocelyn Morgan-Jones.”

That was surprising.  Rowena had gone by the surname ap Llyn for so very long, Samara would have thought their children’s’ names would have been some variant of that.  For Rowena and Henry to have gone back to Jones was touching.

Samara could feel the magic behind the naming.  It was like a balm across the soul, and it southing and binding at the same time. 

Henry held out the child to Kaitlyn, who seemed slightly shocked at the gesture but accepted the baby, going to stand next to Rowena.  Merlin was smiling as he touched the next egg, this one the second of the two for Rowena and Henry.

That single word was spoken once more.  This time, the egg began to crack almost immediately, revealing mottled brown and tan scales and green eyes.  Henry had the boy in his arms almost as quickly as he had Jocelyn, and was ready when the Water Dragon asked him for a name.  “Abraham Morgan-Jones.”

With that, he stepped back into place beside Rowena, whose large head was curled downward, eyes taking in their children, happiness radiating from her like a dragon’s own flame. 

The next egg in line was the one chosen by Anwyn and Gwaine.  The knight was there in moments of Merlin calling the child forth; this little one was a deep, royal blue, with sleepy grey eyes. 

“Erik Jones,” Gwaine proclaimed to the Great Dragons and to all who were present.  Anwyn looked pleased at the choice as he rejoined her.

The next egg was a surprise.  The dragon that burst from it was yellow, and wingless, with long strands of fire-red hair flowing down from her forehead between antler-like horns and with a pronounced tuft at the end of her tail.  Four graceful looking claws hooked themselves carefully about Gareth’s forearm; as he’d had no mate to take the little girl, he’d changed back into his human form when Merlin had called her forth. 

“She looks almost like Nathan,” Nicole said in awe, coming out of the song to comment.  The child did, indeed, look like Nathan; only her colouring was different. 

“She’s an Oriental dragon,” Samara heard Ianto comment, his own voice pleasantly surprised against the backdrop of song.

Samara glanced over at Nathan, knowing that he was very self-conscious about his dragon form being so very different from the rest of his family’s.  He’d been the only one not to change when the ceremony started, but now he was in his full glory, as if seeing another one like him had caused the last of his shyness to drop away.  His sister had her arms about his long, sinuous neck, hugging the stuffing out of him.  Both Phillip and Clint were beaming at the sudden acceptance in their son, the purple dragon that was Clint rubbing his cheek against his dragon child’s, while Phillip had his hands on both of his dragons.

 _“Name the child,”_ the Water Dragon said, her own ethereal voice pleased.

“Carys Harkness-Jones,” Gareth said proudly. 

“A proud Welsh name for an Oriental dragon,” Jack laughed happily.

The next egg was the one chosen by Emlyn and Aymara.  That little girl was yet another, different dragon; this one had rainbow-coloured feathers along her wings, a flat, equally feathered tail, and a ruff that framed her little, scaled face. 

“I’d only heard about the feathered dragons,” Ianto said in wonder.  “I’d never seen one before.”

 _“Name the child,”_ the Water Dragon said once again.

“Bronwyn Khan-Jones,” Aymara said, cradling the little girl close to her chest.  Little Bronwyn gave a little croon, and Samara felt – as well as most of the witnesses, she was sure – her heart melt at all that cuteness.

The last egg was the one chosen by Phillip and Clint. 

That child was the exact same shade as the shy at dusk; a rich indigo, that faded into near-blackness along the wings.  The little boy began to practically climb the ice mage, and Phillip was laughing so hard the baby nearly got away from him.  He wouldn’t be able to fly yet, being that small, but he certainly gave it the best try he could.

Nicole had crowded close, as had Lisa; Clint and Nathan craned their necks over Phillip’s head to get a good look at their newest family member. 

“Skylar Coulson-Jones,” Phillip murmured, his voice soft with joy. 

 _“So shall it be,”_ all four Great Dragons proclaimed.

“So shall it be,” the people watching echoed, Samara among them.

The ceremony broke up, and everyone there crowded around the new parents, giving their congratulations and best wishes for the children.  Clint had immediately changed back into his human form, and had Skylar in his arms.  Tears were in his eyes as cradled the baby, Phillip wrapped around him, Nicole and Lisa both clamouring for their turn to hold him.

A now-human Nathan had gone over to Gareth, and Samara watched as her grandson handed Carys over, Nathan looking extremely uncomfortable until the Oriental girl calmly curled around his forearms, antlers bumping into the young dragon’s shoulder.  Nathan bent his head just enough to rub his cheek along Carys’ hair, a totally besotted expression on his face.

Rowena had changed as well, as had Cadi, and the doting aunt was tickling little Abraham along his belly, making him grumble, while Jocelyn tugged at her mother’s hair, tangling it around one of her claws.  Rowena tried to get loose, but gave it up quickly as a lost cause.

Emlyn and Aymara were both taking turns passing Bronwyn back and forth, the little feathered dragon seemingly enjoying it by the happy squeals she was making.  That was where Samara went first; the beautiful, multi-coloured plumage calling to her. 

Bronwyn was the first of her new great-grandchildren she held.

The feathers were soft under her fingers, and a tiny, black claw reached out to grasp one as Samara stroked her.  Bronwyn’s eyes were a glittering red, and they sparkled as Samara smiled down at her. 

“I’m your Great-Gran,” she murmured.  “And I am going to love you like you won’t believe.”

She would love all of these precious children.  But, if Samara was going to be honest with herself, the two she and Rhys had rescued were always going to be the apple of her eye.  She looked over, and saw that Rhys as standing with Rowena and Henry, his own eyes wide with awe as Henry passed him Abraham.  For a second, he was panicked, but Rhys soon regained his calm and was waggling his fingers at the baby’s face, keeping them out of the way of grasping claws and laughing as Abraham tried and failed to catch them.

“Should we be expecting a mating anytime soon?” Emlyn asked slyly.

Samara jerked in surprise at the question, but kept her grip on Bronwyn.  She felt her face grow hot.  “I’ve only just met him.  He needs time to settle before I even think about something like that.  Besides, I don’t even know if he would be interested in that sort of thing.”

But she’d been getting signals from him.  She couldn’t deny that.  It had only been a couple of days, and yet Samara felt as if she’d known Rhys Williams forever. 

“It never hurts to ask,” Aymara declared.  “If I’d never spoken to Emlyn, I wouldn’t be here now.”  Her dark skin was flushed with happiness, and she had her arm around Emlyn’s waist, hand resting lightly on Emlyn’s hip.  They were perfectly mated, even if Aymara wasn’t as long-lived as Emlyn was.

“Just think about it,” Emlyn urged. 

“I will,” Samara promised.

Her eyes went back to Rhys, and this time she caught him staring at her.  Yes, she will think about it.  And yes, they will talk.  However, she wasn’t about to push.  Rhys had been through too much, it was too soon in knowing him anyway. 

For now, though, she was going to celebrate with her family.  She was going to get to know her new great-grandchildren, and spend time with everyone else.  Maybe she would travel.  Visit the homeworlds that they’d chosen for themselves.  See them in their own environments.  Perhaps go on an adventure with Cadi…and meet this John Hart character she’d taken up with.

She had her entire lifetime to do the things she wanted to.  And, maybe…who knew?  She might very well have someone to come home to, someone who would cherish her the way Franklin had. 

Samara had her whole life in front of her, and she would so whatever she wanted to, instead of merely existing in the past.

She’d come a long way from Maker’s World…a long way to home.

 

_Fin_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****List of Important People in the Future-Verse has been updated, FYI.


End file.
